The remaining first-round matches in Washington, D.C. will be played on Tuesday, and it would be an understatement to say that the schedule is stacked. Among the showdowns are Alex de Minaur vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Arthur Fils vs. Rafael Jodar.
(1) Alex de Minaur vs. (WC) Stefanos Tsitsipas
De Minaur and Tsitsipas will be squaring off for an incredible 17th time in their careers when they meet again in round one of the Mubadala DC Open on Tuesday. Even more incredibly, Tsitsipas is dominating the head-to-head series 14-2 (12-1 at the ATP level). They have faced each other only once since 2024, with the Greek prevailing 6-3, 7-6(3) earlier this season in Miami.
Tsitsipas had been in dreadful form before suddenly capturing a title on the clay courts of Gstaad a couple of weeks ago. Prior to that event, the world No. 51 had not defeated anyone ranked better than 80th since the Madrid Masters. De Minaur, on the other hand, has won multiple matches at five consecutive events. The sixth-ranked Australian should be able to win at least one in the district, even against an opponent who has been a nemesis. Tsitsipas found his clay-court form in Gstaad, but the jury is still out on his game — and especially his backhand — on any other surface.
Pick: De Minaur in 2
(8) Arthur Fils vs. Rafael Jodar
Fils vs. Jodar is without question worthy of an ATP 500 final. In a stacked Washington draw with only eight seeds, however, their second head-to-head encounter is coming in the very first round. They previously faced each other this spring in Barcelona, where Fils got the job done 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Jodar may have run out of gas a bit in that contest, as he had already played eight matches on the clay-court swing — including a title in Marrakech — prior to that result. At only 19 years old, Jodar has earned 26 tour-level victories in 2026 and is already up to 24th in the rankings.
Whereas his opponent has been scorching hot pretty much all year long, Fils has endured an injury-plagued season. The Frenchman still registers at a decent No. 22 in the world, but he has played just three matches since the beginning of May. With Fils arriving in D.C. as a major question mark, Jodar will likely have the edge on Tuesday.
Pick: Jodar in 3
WWW?
Demon in 3; Jodar in 2…..but great matches all around in DC today!