34-year-old Belgian David Goffin has enjoyed a non-descript season, bringing a 9-14 record into this event. Injuries have plagued Goffin throughout his career, and he has struggled to maintain consistency these past few years.
2025 ATP Tour
ATP 500
Mubadala Citi Open (Washington Open)
William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Centre, Washington D.C. (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected Round of 32 Matches- 21st July
David Goffin 1.18 vs Yunchaokete Bu 0.66
However, he sill possesses the innate ability to take on elite competitors, beating Shelton in Acapulco and Alcaraz- yes, that Alcaraz- in Miami. Goffin has really battled these last few months and should welcome the return to his favoured hardcourts. In fact, he really started to come into his own during last year’s North American hardcourt swing, reaching the Winston Salem semifinals before a solid US Open 3rd round run. He extended that form into the Shanghai Masters, reaching the quarterfinals to propel himself back into the top 60 in the world. He has regressed this season but should be more comfortable on these slick Washington surfaces. Goffin rarely ventures away from the baseline, using his offensive style to dictate proceedings.
Yunchaokete Bu must be wondering how on earth he lost to Emilio Nava at last week’s Los Cabos Open. The Chinese baseliner threw away a one-set lead, squandering four match-points in the process. It was a performance that typifies Bu’s disappointing season: he brings a dire 6-18 record into this week’s event. In fact, he broke an unenviable ten-match, tour-level losing streak in Los Cabos. So, he will be hoping to build on that minor breakthrough. Bu is certainly most comfortable on hardcourts, winning all three of his Challenger titles on hard surfaces. He showed some all-court ingenuity by finishing runner-up the Piemonte Challenger earlier this year (which was played on clay-courts). He will be hoping to recapture some of the magic he experienced towards the end of last season, where he reached back-to-back semifinals at the Hangzhou and China Opens (where he beat the likes of Lorenzo Musetti and Andrey Rublev).
The Verdict: Goffin to win in three at 4- This will be their first career meeting. This should be a tight encounter, with neither player bringing much confidence into the clash. However, I think Goffin’s North American hardcourt know-how should give the edge in three.
Learner Tien 0.61 vs Emilio Nava 1.27
Rising American star Learner Tien should welcome this return to hardcourts. The tactically astute 19-year-old wowed in lower-tier tennis last year, winning seven different titles before finishing runner-up at the prestigious NextGen Finals. And he brought that energy into the start of his 2025 campaign, defying all expectations with an unheralded 4th round run at the Aussie Open (becoming the youngest man since Rafa Nadal in 2005 to reach the final 16 in Melbourne). He then backed that up with a highly creditable quarterfinal run in Acapulco. To put that into context, he entered both of those events as a qualifier, beating Medvedev in Melbourne and Zverev in Acapulco. Perhaps understandably, the teenager struggled to maintain that momentum as the tour zigzagged through clay and grass (though he did some more giant killing by beating Shelton in Mallorca). I think that the versatile baseliner will welcome this lovely home section of the season.
Next up for Tien is compatriot Emilio Nava. Nava is three years older than Tien but has struggled to make his mark at tour level. He looked set to be the next big thing in American tennis, reaching two junior slams back in 2019. He just hasn’t been able to come to grips with the demands of the tour. However, he has looked impressive at Challenger level, winning two titles and reaching another final this year. The big-serving American seemed to transfer some of that Challenger success into form at last week’s Los Cabos Open, saving four match-points against Yuchaokete Bu before nicking a set off Andrey Rublev in their quarterfinal clash. He served 31 aces last week and will look to impose himself on the more economic Tien.
The Verdict: Nava to win in straight sets at 2.8- This will be their first tour meeting. I think that Nava has a decent chance of pulling off an upset here. These courts are quite brisk and should allow him to get some purchase with that serve. Tien has looked a bit lightweight as the season has progressed (he needs to work on generating some more power on his serve and forehand).
