Black tennis players are on the rise, particularly on the men’s side, and fans took notice at the DC Open:

It’s a rare, exciting feeling, the sensation of catching the right athlete (or two) at the right place and time — even if that place and time happen to be in Washington on a midsummer Monday afternoon.

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The opening-day schedule of the DC Open deserved an extra blink or two upon its release Sunday. The prime-time match was a humdinger, a 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 win for Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina over Belarus’s Victoria Azarenka in a rematch of their round-of-16 meeting at Wimbledon. But stuck plum in the middle for all who could wrangle the day off work was an extra treat.

Yes, that was world No. 17 Hubert Hurkacz and hometown hero Frances Tiafoe facing off against another American on the rise, No. 26 Sebastian Korda, and some guy named Chris Eubanks on an intimate outer court at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Yes, fans packed into metal bleachers beneath the hot sun for that one, so much so that ushers had to deny entry even to some of those who arrived early.

No, it is not normal for the players in a first-round doubles bout on a Monday to receive a standing ovation before they’ve so much as warmed up.

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Tiafoe and Hurkacz won a match full of grins and ribs between friends at the net, 2-6, 7-6 (11-9), 10-7. The score felt beside the point for those in attendance. They knew that catching Tiafoe in bloom against Eubanks on a tear — even in doubles — was something special, and that’s no dig to Korda or Hurkacz, both of whom received their share of supportive hoots and hollers.

Right athletes, right time.

What made the DC Open the right place for a showcase featuring two buzzy American players who happen to be Black is obvious to anyone who has been on the grounds at Washington’s summer classic, where the crowd reflects the city’s diversity — a rarity at any tennis tournament.

Beyond the crowd’s appreciation, though, this week is a special moment for Tiafoe and Eubanks, too. They felt it when they were on the practice courts together Sunday and Eubanks looked across the court and saw young American Ben Shelton hitting in the corner. Then he looked to his left and saw Tiafoe — and, beyond that, another American, Michael Mmoh. There stood four Black men’s players and two of their fathers — former pro Bryan Shelton, who coaches his son, and Mmoh’s father, Tony, also an ex-pro. It was a rare enough occurrence that the group gathered for a photo.

“Hopefully it has a great impact,” Eubanks said. “We can get more young Black boys into the sport right now. … Especially growing up in Atlanta, I saw it firsthand — nobody really wanted to play tennis. You went to basketball or football. Now, I think hopefully it’s starting to change, and we are hoping just to be a small part of that change.”

Eubanks will be the first to note that they are hardly the first Black men to pop in tennis. The 27-year-old pays homage to more recent predecessors — Donald Young, James Blake and MaliVai Washington, to name a few — whenever he can. Tiafoe is quick to point out the success of world No. 12 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada.

But to have more than one Black American at the center of attention on the men’s side isn’t nearly as common as it is on the women’s side. There, a steady stream of Black women have populated the highest levels of the sport for more than two decades, thanks in large part to Venus and Serena Williams.

Tiafoe, 25, is in the midst of the best year of his career in the wake of his semifinal appearance at last summer’s U.S. Open. He has won two titles this season, cracked the top 10 and announced a charitable foundation last week in partnership with the U.S. Tennis Association.

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Eubanks captured hearts during his dreamlike run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals, a streak that helped propel him to No. 29 in the world after he started the year 123rd. It has been nice to find success at last after he turned pro in 2017 — and just as nice to face the glare of the spotlight and not feel alone.

“I think obviously a lot of [Black players on the WTA tour come] from Venus and Serena’s dominance for so many years, that little Black girls can look on TV and see someone that looks like them excelling. It naturally feeds them right into the sport. It makes total sense,” Eubanks said. “On the men’s side, we’ve had Roger [Federer], Rafa [Nadal], Novak [Djokovic], [Andy] Murray. … Outside of Blake getting up to [No.] 4 in the world [in 2006], we had Mal Washington, Bryan Shelton, [Young] got up there, top 40 for a while, Rodney Harmon. …

“I think it’s been a while since we have had that type of group. So it’s really cool, a really cool moment to be on that court and look across at Ben and then look to my left and see Frances and Michael, because we’ve all been good friends for years.”

Tiafoe and Eubanks take the fortuitous snapshot for what it is, a moment of celebration among buddies and Black men spanning generations, and for what it could be. Tiafoe is the leader as far as his career results, and he had the benefit of calling the Williams sisters mentors when he was younger. In turn, he has done the same for other young Americans and Black players coming up on the tour, as has Eubanks.

The more who tend the flame, Tiafoe figures, the brighter it glows.

“It’s a domino effect,” he said. “These guys see me do certain things, and they’re coming forward. And it’s great. I hope more and more of us keep playing well.”