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The District of Columbia’s Board of Elections has decided that voters should choose whether they want to institute ranked choice voting and open primary elections to independent voters.

On Friday, the board went along with the recommendations of its executive director, Monica Evans, and approved Initiative 83, also known as the “Ranked Choice Voting and Open the Primary Elections to Independent Voters Act of 2024,” which would place the item on the November general election ballot.

BOE senior policy adviser Alice Miller, speaking on behalf of Evans, said more than 35,000 eligible signatures were received on petitions to put the issues on the ballot, far more than the 5% minimum of registered voters.

Under ranked choice voting, rather than the current process of casting a single vote, a voter can choose their favorite candidate, then rank back up choices second, third, fourth and fifth.

The measure would also allow independent voters to cast a ballot in a primary election. Currently, only registered Democrats and Republicans are allowed to vote in each of their party’s primaries.

In a statement, Lisa D.T. Rice, with the group Make All Votes Count DC — which advocated for ranked choice voting — thanked the Board of Elections for validating tens of thousands of D.C. voters’ signatures.

“These and many more D.C. voters have told us how Initiative 83 would finally give independents a vote in the primary, as well as allow all D.C. voters to use ranked choice voting to hold politicians accountable to a majority of voters,” said Rice.

BOE Chairman Gary Thompson said the agency doesn’t take a position on either issue.

“Take the issue to the voters. At the end of the day, it’s an initiative about how voters should vote,” Thompson said. “And who should decide how voters should vote, (but) the voters.”

Thompson said each side has “excellent and reasonable arguments” to take to the voters, whether they prefer to change voting procedures.

“Educate them,” Thompson said. “People have heard about this, but I think our voters have a long way to go before November to really hear out both sides.”

Thompson said he looks forward to hearing both sides of the argument on whether to implement ranked choice voting and allow independents to vote in primaries.

He said he too remains undecided “like probably a lot of people in D.C.”

The act will take effect after a 30-day period of Congressional review under the Home Rule Act, which allows the District government to pass local laws.

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Never mind that on the other side of the Atlantic, the 2024 Summer Olympic Games are in full swing. Right in the nation’s capital, some of the top names in tennis are going head to head in this year’s Mubadala Citi DC Open, with every single ticket sold out.

Among the talent is local favorite Frances Tiafoe, ATP’s No. 29-ranked player, known for his strong serve and aggressive style of offensive play. Tiafoe, who grew up nearby in Maryland, made an eighth appearance at his hometown tournament a decade after his professional debut at age 16.

Tiafoe attended a solo press conference on Monday afternoon to discuss his goals for the remainder of this year and the importance of this tennis event in Washington, D.C.’s Rock Creek Park.

“Obviously coming here, I want to perform,” Taifoe said, also saying that seeing his name and image around the stadium “gets me going. I mean, I need to get a few matches under my belt,” he added, “obviously try(ing) to get some good momentum to get me to the (U.S.) Open.”

On Thursday, Tiafoe advanced from the Round of 16 after beating fellow American Aleksandar Kovacevic in three sets. When I spoke directly to Tiafoe after the presser, he said that his intensity would not let up.

“I like to play hard, and I’m always going try to get to the net more aggressively, hit my serves hard, and play hard but keep it smooth.”

Tiafoe, who entered the Mubadala Citi DC Open’s men’s singles tourney as the No. 5 seed, also said he focuses on the mental aspect of his game most.

“My game is my game, and I know I’m dangerous. So, I know it’s about my mental game and how I can bring my best week in and week out.”

When I asked about playing in Washington, D.C., and being the hometown favorite, Tiafoe said there’s something special about being close to where he grew up.

“Generally, when I play anywhere around the States, I feel a lot of love. I feel it in New York and places like Cincinnati, but obviously home is home,” Tiafoe said. I’m going to my favorite restaurants while (at) home. I’ve got my friends in the stadium, (plus) family, parents, and cousins here watching. It’s a really big thing.”

When I asked Tiafoe which challenger he felt has helped him the most recently in the ongoing evolution of his game, he said the current world No. 3 player and two-time consecutive Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz.

“Playing Alcaraz, We’ve gone to the brink twice in huge matches. I think he brings out the best in me, and I bring out the best in him. ”

Tiafoe saw competition against Alcaraz a month ago at Wimbledon, in which the defending champion survived a major scare versus Tiafoe in Wimbledon’s third round on Friday, July 5. Eventually, Alcaraz rallied to beat Tiafoe in a five-set thriller 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2.

At the US Open in 2022, Tiafoe tested the Spaniard in a five-set match-up en route to his only US Open title.

DC Open: A local favorite and then some

Mark Ein, an American former tennis player, venture capitalist, and sports executive, has chaired the DC Open since 2019.

Ein says that even with the Olympics going on—with a lot of attention from tennis diehards to attendees in Paris like Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, and WTA world No. 1 Iga Świątek—the Mubadala Citi DC Open is having perhaps its best year.

“Our player field is really strong. It’s a small draw in that there are on 28 players on the women’s side, and 48 on the men’s. We have seven of the top women’s players, plus exciting players in Sloane Stephens, Sofia Kenin, Emma Radacanu,” Ein said. “That means every round, you draw players who are really good.”

Nine of the world’s top 20-ranked players were on the docket at the DC Open, including Aryna Sabalenka (3), Ons Jabeur (10), Grigor Dimitrov (10), Daria Kasatkina (12), Ben Shelton (14), Liudmila Samsonova (15), Victoria Azarenka (16) and Anna Kalinskaya (18), as well as Madison Keys (13), who withdrew at the last minute because of an injury.

Sabalenka, Azarenka, and Karolína Plíšková are all one-time world No. 1 players, while Sabalenka, Azarenka, Kenin, Stephens, and Raducanu are all Grand Slam winners. Azarenka is also an Olympic Gold Medalist (London 2012, Mixed Doubles).

Ein, who also plays a role as a limited partner with the Washington Commanders, points out that for the last two consecutive years, the Citi Open ticket office has completely sold out, and he thinks this has a lot to do with the top-level of talent in the DC Open, and it being so accessible for the fans.

But it’s not just the talent on the court that DC Open can boast about. The William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center, home of the DC Open, is tucked into the picturesque wooded are known as Rock Creek, a U.S. National Park Service location.

Also on hand for fans is a world-class selection of food that consists of both Michelin-starred chefs and DC-area local favorite coffee spots and sandwich shops.

“It’s great tennis up close, with this incredible summer festival,” Ein said. “In the middle of the day, when tennis is being played and all the fans are out, the DC Open has great energy.”

Ein also points out that the DC Open is one of the most innovative events in the sport, as the world’s first combined 500 event. In pro tennis, both ATP, the men’s tennis authority, and WTA, the women’s tennis authority, sponsor events in which tournament singles champions collect 500 ranking points.

“When we took over the DC Open (in 2019), our event was a men’s 500 and a women’s 250,” Ein said. This meant that you couldn’t highlight both sides equally, but we decided to fix that.”

Aryna Sabalenka, currently the WTA’s No. 3-ranked player and a two-time consecutive Australian Open champ (2022, 2023), is known for her intensity on and off the court, like Tiafoe.

She hints that the Mubadala Citi DC Open is a great alternative to the Olympic tussle and provides a great opportunity not only to regroup but to win.

“I definitely feel like being in Paris right now, it’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure, like different pressure,” Sabalenka said during her Monday presser. Here, it actually feels much, much easier to breathe.”

Read Frye’s interviews with Maria Sharapova and Billie Jean King.

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A marquee quarterfinal lineup in Washington, D.C. on Friday features a showdown between top seed Andrey Rublev and home favorite Frances Tiafoe. Left-handers Ben Shelton and Denis Shapovalov are also taking the court.

(1) Andrey Rublev vs. (5) Frances Tiafoe

Tiafoe has mostly underwhelmed in 2024, but an encouraging performance at Wimbledon and now an appearance at his home event–the Citi Open–could have him back on track. The 29th-ranked American reached the third round at the All-England Club and pushed eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz to five sets. Tiafoe’s hard-court summer began with an Atlanta quarterfinal loss to eventual champion Yoshihito Nishioka, but so far in the district he has defeated Daniel Elahi Galan and Aleksandar Kovacevic.

Up next for the fifth seed on quarterfinal Friday is a fourth meeting with Rublev, who trails the head-to-head series 2-1. Tiafoe has prevailed twice at the U.S. Open (2021 and 2022), while Rublev got the job done 6-3, 6-4 at the 2022 Indian Wells Masters. Like his opponent, the eighth-ranked Russian has struggled for the majority of this season. From out of nowhere he captured a Masters 1000 title in Madrid, but that has been followed by another slump. Rublev’s only decent result since Madrid is a semifinal showing in Umag, so he can only hope that wins over Luca Van Assche and Arthur Rinderknech are the start of something special in D.C. Unfortunately for the No. 1 seed, that probably isn’t the case. Tiafoe has built up slightly more momentum that Rublev, is confident in this particular matchup, and should benefit from home-court advantage.

Pick: Tiafoe in 3

(WC) Denis Shapovalov vs. (2) Ben Shelton

Shelton and Shapovalov will be squaring off for the second time in their careers and the second time this summer. They just faced each other in the Wimbledon third round, and it did not disappoint; Shelton survived 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. The 14th-ranked American decided to skip the Olympics to focus on the U.S. hard-court swing, and so far returns are mixed. He lost right away in Atlanta to nemesis Jerry Shang but so far in Washington, D.C. has ousted Radu Albot and Brandon Nakashima.

Shapovalov is a dreadful 15-17 this season as he returns from a knee injury, but he is showing signs of a turnaround. In addition to his Wimbledon performance he also reached the third round at Roland Garros. The 139th-ranked Canadian kicked off his hard-court summer with a second-round showing in Atlanta; now he is through to the last eight in D.C. thanks to victories over Roberto Bautista Agut, Adrian Mannarino, and Miomir Kecmanovic. Still, consistency remains an issue and this is the first time since Wimbledon in 2023 that Shapovalov has won three matches in a single tournament. He has not won four since Vienna in the fall of 2022.

Pick: Shelton in 2