At the DC Open, Hailey Baptiste is right back where she started
At the DC Open, Hailey Baptiste is right back where she started
Hailey Baptiste knew some extra responsibility would be coming her way this summer at the DC Open, her hometown tennis tournament, even if it would be a stretch to say she wanted it.
She was asked to be the player representative during the tournament’s main draw — and after a strong European swing yielded the best ranking of her career, the Washington native knew it was only right to take on the task.
“I hate looking at the draw,” she said Saturday. “I usually never do. They want me there. It’s my home tournament, so I’ll do it today.”
Baptiste grew up just a few blocks from Rock Creek Tennis Center, where the DC Open’s qualifying rounds began Saturday; main-draw play starts Monday and concludes July 27. This year, she is back and playing the best tennis of her career.
Baptiste reached the fourth round of the French Open and the third round at Wimbledon — both career-best showings for the 23-year-old. Her success at the All England Club pushed her into the top 50 in the world rankings; she’s at No. 48.
Baptiste walks with coach Franklin Tiafoe. (Nick Grace/DC Open)
Baptiste — who will face 26th-ranked Sofia Kenin in the DC Open’s first round — said she doesn’t feel extra pressure to win in front of her hometown crowd. But she does see success as a priority. While waiting for her turn onstage at Saturday’s draw, Baptiste stood with her father, Quasim, and coach Franklin Tiafoe, twin brother of standout men’s player Frances Tiafoe. Hailey Baptiste said the Tiafoe brothers, Prince George’s County natives, joke that they almost would rather win the DC Open than the U.S. Open.
“It’s a joke, but it’s not really a joke,” she said. “It’s something that we definitely want to both have before we get out of here and put the rackets up. Obviously it’s not a Grand Slam, but it’s our home Slam.”
Just like the Tiafoes, Baptiste has a deep connection to the venue. She grew up playing on these courts. As a kid, she came to the tournament every year, she said. She ran around with her friends from open to close, spending hours on a mini-court and hunting for autographs. Outside of tournament week, she practiced hitting the ball around the facility — on the courts or even against its walls.
Baptiste said her success overseas has led to her being recognized at home a bit more frequently. This year, DC Open organizers have given her a little recognition, too.
Quasim Baptiste said he walked into the tennis center Friday and saw a picture of Frances Tiafoe on the stadium wall. That’s about what he expected, given Tiafoe’s local ties and on-court success. But as he kept walking around the venue, he came across a picture of his daughter on the west side of the stadium. Baptiste said he sent a text message to tournament chair Mark Ein to thank him — and he sent a video to his daughter, who had just finished practice and walked over to see it.
The placement was fitting, the younger Baptiste said: She grew up hitting the ball off that same wall when there were no courts to practice on. To her, it was a physical representation of her rising status — especially at a venue that means so much to her.
“I’m obviously a bit more known now,” she said. “But I still get the same feeling that I got when I was a little kid coming here.”
(Matt Cohen/The Washington Post)
