De Minaur returns from Antwerp, Rublev and Tiafoe top seeds in Almaty, Stockholm | ATP Tour

Inspection Report

De Minaur returns from Antwerp, Rublev and Tiafoe top seeds in Almaty, Stockholm: Scouting Report

The ultimate summary of what every fan should know about the upcoming week

October 12, 2024

ATP Tour action continues next week with three ATP 250 events: the Almaty Open, the European Open in Antwerp and the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm.

The top seeds are Frances Tiafoe (Almaty), Alex de Minaur (Antwerp) and Andrey Rublev (Stockholm). ATPtour.com takes a look at five things to watch for each tournament.

FIVE MUST-SEE THINGS IN ALMATY
1) Top Tiafoe Seeds: This American player showed what he knows when he reached the semi-finals of the US Open. Will he be able to bring that level to the court in Almaty, where he will try to claim his first title of the season? The three-time ATP Tour champion will begin his tournament against Taro Daniel or qualifier.

2) Good Tabilo: Alejandro Tabilo was one of the stars of the 2024 season. The Chilean lefty started his year at No. 85 in the PIF ATP Rankings and has risen to World No. Maximilian Marterer.

3) Powerful Machac: Quietly, Czech Tomas Machac has been one of the best players on the ATP Tour in the second half of the season. Paris Olympics mixed doubles gold medalist (with Katerina Siniakova), the 23-year-old reached the semi-finals of Tokyo before upsetting Carlos Alcaraz en route to the semi-finals in Shanghai. Only Jannik Sinner was able to stop him. Machac, the fifth seed in Almaty, will face Kazakhstan’s Timofey Skatov.

4) Shevchenko Leads Kazakhstani Pay: There are three Kazakhs in the main draw for Almaty (before qualifying). Alexander Shevchenko, World No. 58, he leads the way. Skatov and Beibit Zhukayev received wild cards.

5) Lammons/Wthrow Pushing For Turin Spot: For the second year in a row, Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow made a push to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. The Americans are ranked ninth in the PIF ATP Doubles Teams Rankings and will look to improve their standing as the top seed in Kazakhstan.

FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN ANTWERP
1) De Minaur Returns: The Belgian ATP 250 seed is De Minaur, who will compete for the first time since reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open due to injury. The Australian is ranked ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, and will return against either Roberto Carballes Baena or Dominik Koepfer.

2) Tsitsipas Second Seed: Last year, Stefanos Tsitsipas won the doubles title in Antwerp with his brother Petros Tsitsipas. The Greeks are defending their crown and Stefanos is the second seed in singles. This year’s Monte-Carlo champion will be looking to add a hard court title to his 2024 collection. He will have to be sharp in the first ball against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or in the qualifiers.

3) Belgians at Home: Will there be a home singles or doubles champion for the first time in Antwerp? Zizou Bergs, Alexander Blockx and Raphael Collignon represent Belgium and will be supported by their local fans. In doubles, Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen will try to collect the hardware.

4) Retired Gasquet: This week Richard Gasquet announced in an interview with L’Equipe that the 2025 Roland Garros will be the last tournament of his illustrious career. The 2016 Antwerp champion received a wild card into the event and will look for long-term form against sixth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round.

5) Krawietz/Puetz Top Doubles Seed: Kevin Krawietz won the European Open in 2019 with Andres Mies. In this edition, he will pursue this trophy with Tim Puetz, who is ranked sixth in the PIF ATP Doubles Teams Rankings. The second seeds are 2023 Nitto ATP Finals rivals Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN STOCKHOLM
1) Rublev in the Bubble: Top seed Andrey Rublev is in a tough fight in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The 26-year-old, who is trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive year, is eighth in the Live Race. He could help secure his position with a deep run in Stockholm, where he will play either Leo Borg or Alexandre Muller in his opener.

2) Super Live Race Results: Rublev is not the only player competing in Stockholm fighting for a Live Race position. Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul are seventh and 11th, respectively. Ruud will open against Lorenzo Sonego or a qualifier, while 2021 champion Tommy Paul will try to get past Pedro Martinez or a qualifier.

3) Borg, Wawrinka & Ymer Wild Cards: The Stockholm main draw singles wild cards go to Swede Leo Borg, son of Bjorn Borg, former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka and home favorite Elias Ymer. Wawrinka made his Stockholm debut in 2010, when he reached the quarter-finals before losing to Roger Federer in three sets.

4) Former champion Dimitrov: Grigor Dimitrov, the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion, is in tenth place in the Live Race, 645 points behind Rublev in eighth place. The Bulgarian will hope that his fond memories of Stockholm, where he won his first ATP Tour title in 2013, will help him reduce the deficit. Dimitrov will start his event against either Quentin Halys or Sumit Nagal.

5) Heliovaara/Patten Lead Double Fields: This year’s two-time Wimbledon champions, Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, are the top seeds in Stockholm. Having won together again in Marrakech and Lyon, they will try to get their fourth title of the season. The second seeds are Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski.