The opening day of the 2025 Citi DC Open features eleven first-round matches in the men’s singles draw, with all 16 seeded players receiving byes into the second round. Among the competitors taking to the Stadium Court, American favorite Reilly Opelka is set to face Murphy Cassone in a showdown that draws significant attention. This matchup is a highlight alongside other notable American clashes, including Mackenzie McDonald versus Colton Smith and Learner Tien against Emilio Nava, while former Top 10 player Cameron Norrie will begin his tournament against Billy Harris.
Analysis of the Opelka vs. Cassone First-Round Duel
Reilly Opelka, competing on home soil, enters the 2025 Citi DC Open with a 23-18 record this year across all levels, including a runner-up finish in Brisbane as his standout result. At Wimbledon, his last tournament before this event, Opelka was eliminated in the second round by Brandon Nakashima. His opponent, Murphy Cassone, primarily active on the Challenger Tour, holds a 28-18 record in 2025. Cassone’s recent form includes unsuccessful qualification attempts at the Los Cabos Open and victories during Citi DC Open qualifying rounds—most notably a 6-2, 6-4 win against Thai Kwiatkowski and a retirement win over Rinki Hijikata to secure his spot in the main draw.
This inaugural meeting between Opelka and Cassone positions Opelka as the favorite, largely due to his higher ranking and substantial experience at ATP Tour level events.
Other First-Round Matchups to Watch at the Citi DC Open
Cameron Norrie, a former Top 10 player, will face Billy Harris in the opening round. Norrie comes into the tournament with a 25-19 record in 2025, highlighted by a semifinal appearance at the Geneva Open. At Wimbledon, he reached the quarterfinals but was defeated in straight sets by Carlos Alcaraz. Harris, focusing mainly on Challenger events, holds a 26-29 win-loss tally this year. His strongest result was reaching the final at the New Delhi Challenger, where Kyrian Jacquet halted his progress. To earn his place in this main draw, Harris overcame Marek Gengel 6-1, 7-5 and Moerani Bouzige 6-4, 7-6 (6) in qualifying rounds.
While Harris leads their head-to-head series 1-0 after defeating Norrie earlier in Eastbourne, current form heavily favors Norrie to advance.
Italian Matteo Arnaldi will take on Germany’s Daniel Altmaier in another first-round battle. Arnaldi’s season record stands at 15-15, with a semifinal run at the Delray Beach Open marking his peak performance so far. He exited Wimbledon early after a first-round loss to Botic Van de Zandschulp. Altmaier has played 49 matches this year, including Challenger and qualifying contests, winning 25. His best outings include a Turin Challenger semifinal and quarterfinal appearances at Rotterdam and Marseille. Most recently, Altmaier fell 3-6, 4-6 to Tristan Schoolkate at the Los Cabos Open.
This will be the first encounter between Arnaldi and Altmaier, with Arnaldi expected to prevail due to his higher ranking.
Evaluating the Home Favorites in the Opening Round
Another American contender, Ethan Quinn, will compete against Australia’s Christopher O’Connell. Quinn’s 2025 record includes 34 wins against 18 losses, with a notable runner-up finish at the Canberra Challenger after losing to Joao Fonseca. His last tournament saw a second-round exit at Wimbledon, where Kamil Majchrzak defeated him. O’Connell’s season features 14 wins out of 34 matches, including a quarterfinal at Bucharest. On grass at Wimbledon, he was defeated in the first round by Adrian Mannarino in straight sets. The two players have not met before, but Quinn’s home advantage makes him the front-runner.
What These Matches Mean for the Citi DC Open Tournament Progression
The first day’s results will shape the early landscape of the Citi DC Open, especially as no seeded players participate initially, opening opportunities for emerging talents and home players to gain crucial momentum. Reilly Opelka’s match against Murphy Cassone offers an electrifying start, capturing local enthusiasm and spotlighting Opelka’s potential to progress deep into the tournament on home turf. Similarly, battles like Norrie versus Harris and Arnaldi versus Altmaier set the tone for competitive intensity in the draw’s early phases.
With players eager to build confidence and refine their form ahead of potential clashes against seeded opponents, the opening round is critical in establishing rhythm and momentum. Fans can expect a display of determined performances underscored by hope and careful calculation as players balance aggressive play with strategic caution.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Why did Reilly Opelka stop playing tennis?
A. Over the past few years, Opelka put in a lot of effort to recover from an injury. A first wrist surgery went wrong, leading to another operation to correct it. Consequently, he was away from professional tennis for over two years before making a return last July.
Q. Why did Reilly Opelka stop playing?
A. By late October 2023, Opelka went back to the ATP Challenger Tour at the Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger. He had been away for nearly 18 months because of a wrist injury. In the first round, he won against Tennys Sandgren in two sets. Unfortunately, he withdrew from the tournament in the second round.