In July of 1969, the inaugural tournament became one of the first open professional tennis tournaments held in the United States. The Citi Open, formerly the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, has since been part of some of the most innovative changes in tennis, including blue courts, instant replay/video boards in the stadium, US Open Series, Sunday Main Draw start and, starting in 2009, an ATP "500" level tournament. Continuing that theme, the Event introduced a WTA International Level tournament in 2012.