Tennis: Citi Open cancelled due to COVID-19, US Open remain on track
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Nick Kyrgios during men's singles finals at the 2019 Citi Open in Washington D.C., August 4 ,2019. (Photos: VCG)

The Citi Open in the U.S. capital of Washington D.C., which was scheduled to restart the men's ATP Tour after the COVID-19 shutdown, has been cancelled for 2020, organizers announced on Tuesday.

The tournament was set to begin on August 14 behind closed doors and serve as a build-up for the U.S. Open but the organizers said concerns about travel restrictions and recent trends in the coronavirus outbreak had led to the decision to scrap the event.

"... There are too many unresolved external issues, including various international travel restrictions as well as troubling health and safety trends, that have forced us to make this decision now in fairness to our players, suppliers and partners, so that they can have certainty around their planning," tournament chairman Mark Ein said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Open and U.S. Open are still scheduled to take place back-to-back in New York from August 20, despite several leading figures in men's tennis casting doubts over the hard court Grand Slam.

Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates his victory in his Men's Singles quarterfinals during 2019 U.S. Open in New York, September 4, 2019.

"This decision in no way impacts the U.S. Open or the Western & Southern Open," the United States Tennis Association (USTA) said in a statement.

"The USTA will create a safe and controlled environment for players and everyone else involved in both tournaments that mitigates health risks…We are confident we remain in-line with all three guiding principles.”

Tennis, apart from some exhibition events, ground to a halt in mid-March, with Wimbledon being cancelled and the French Open being moved to September.

The men's clay court swing is scheduled to begin on September 8 in Kitzbuhel, Austria, overlapping with the second week of the U.S. Open.

Players will then be able to get more time on clay at the Madrid and Italian Opens before the French Open, which begins on September 27.

The women's WTA tour is scheduled to restart on August 3 in Palermo, Italy, followed by a tournament in Prague the same week as a new hard court event in Kentucky featuring Serena Williams.