Five Americans who can snap Washington fans' 17-year wait for a home champion

At the 2007 Mubadala Citi DC Open, Andy Roddick beat John Isner in an all-American final to win his third title in the United States capital. There have been four American finalists in Washington since then — Roddick, Isner twice more, and Mackenzie McDonald — but the wait goes on for a home champion at the ATP 500.

This year, a host of American stars will bid to change that, a contingent led by top seed Ben Shelton, Top 25 talent Sebastian Korda, local hero Frances Tiafoe, #NextGenATP Alex Michelsen and the resurgent Reilly Opelka. Read on for a look at why each man could be the one to break the barren spell.

Ben Shelton
After rising to American No. 1 for the first time in April, when he won his second career title in Houston, Shelton enters Washington as the No. 3 U.S. player in the PIF ATP Rankings. The World No. 14 served notice in 2023 when, in his first full season on the ATP Tour, he reached the Australian Open quarter-finals and the US Open semi-finals before winning his first title in Tokyo.

Shelton's 2024 season has been steadier, with a host of deep runs. Semi-final showings in Auckland and Dallas preceded his Houston triumph in what was his last match on home soil until last week in Atlanta. With an electric game that few can match, Shelton is a contender at any event he enters — and even more so on the American hard courts.

Sebastian Korda
A strong grass-court swing lifted Korda to a career-high PIF ATP Ranking of World No. 20 in June, following a final run in 's-Hertogenbosch and a semi-final run at Queen's Club. After an early exit at Wimbledon, the 24-year-old will be eager to return to winning ways in Washington, where he will play his first match since he competed at the All England Club.

Korda's lone ATP Tour title came in Parma in 2021, the year he reached the final at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the title match. But he has finished runner-up six times at tour-level, including five times on hard courts. Long considered a blue-chipper, can the 2022 D.C. quarter-finalist raise his stock even higher by claiming this year's crown?

Frances Tiafoe
A native of nearby Hyattsville, Maryland, Tiafoe is competing at his hometown event for the eighth time. His best two results have come in quarter-final runs in the past two editions of the ATP 500; he lost to the eventual champion both times, to Nick Kyrgios in 2022 and Daniel Evans last year.

The versatile Tiafoe owns one ATP Tour title on each surface, having followed up his 2018 Delray Beach triumph (hard) with 2023 trophies in Houston (clay) and Stuttgart (grass). A strong 2023 season saw him break into the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time, but the American has dropped outside the Top 25 due to an inconsistent 2024.

That can change quickly if Tiafoe can build on his performance at Wimbledon. His third-round London run ended only at the hands of eventual champion Alcaraz, who had to dig deep to claw past the American in five sets.

Alex Michelsen
At 19 years of age, Michelsen is knocking on the door of the Top 50. After reaching three tour-level quarter-finals in the first half of 2024, the #NextGenATP American faced the stress of defending finalist points in the PIF ATP Rankings in Newport. The 6-foot-4 talent handled the pressure with aplomb, not losing serve en route to his second ATP Tour final. He nearly went all the way at the site of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, but Marcos Giron fired an ace to save championship point in the final before snatching a three-set victory.

With a backhand that is the envy of some of the best players on the ATP Tour, Michelsen has been widely tipped as a future star in American tennis. Could a Washington title run be the spark he needs to rise to the very top of the game?

Reilly Opelka
After nearly two years out of ATP Tour action, the fashion-forward Opelka returned in style in Newport. A trio of three-set wins saw him reach the semi-finals in his comeback event, before Michelsen beat him in the semis.

The 6-foot-11 Opelka is one of the toughest outs in tennis thanks to his booming serve. He is a player no opponent relishes facing — and that's doubly true now as he plays with nothing to lose early in his comeback journey. While he is still finding his footing in competition following hip and wrist surgeries, Opelka will be a dark horse contender in his sixth Washington appearance.