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Big-serving left-hander Ben Shelton pushed back inside the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Live Rankings with a commanding 6-3, 6-4 win over Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round of the Swiss Indoors Basel Tuesday.

Climbing three places to No. 20, the former University of Florida standout joins countrymen No. 6 Taylor Fritz, No. 12 Tommy Paul and No. 15 Frances Tiafoe in the elite club.

Competing for the first time since a competitive defeat to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the fourth round of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Shelton dropped just six points on his first serve and saved the lone break point he faced according to Infosys ATP Stats.

The 22-year-old improved to 38-23 on the year as he attempts to reach a season milestone of 40 wins for the first time in his career.

"I went into the match with a lot of confidence because of the way I have been playing,” Shelton said. “This is the type of surface I'm really comfortable on and my game is coming together really well. Two more tournaments this year and I'm pushing strong to the end.

Alex de Minaur had to hang tough to overcome Jan-Lennard Struff and book his second-round spot at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.

The second-seeded Australian shook off a slow start to earn a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 triumph on Tuesday afternoon at the indoor hard-court ATP 500. De Minaur converted four of six break points he earned across the second and third sets, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to seal a one-hour, 42-minute win and advance to face Flavio Cobolli.

De Minaur returned to competitive action for the first time since the US Open last week in Antwerp, where he reached the quarter-finals. His winning start in Vienna is a boost to the 25-year-old’s hopes of securing a Nitto ATP Finals debut this year: De Minaur is currently ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 265 points shy of Andrey Rublev in eighth.

Demon pulls through ?@alexdeminaur completes the comeback against Struff 2-6 6-2 6-2 in Vienna!#ErsteBankOpen | @ErsteBankOpen | ? e|motion/Bildagentur Zolles KG/Christian Hofer pic.twitter.com/rz1cAeQzfm

Having begun the year with a 2-2 Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Struff, De Minaur has since notched a hat-trick of wins against the big-hitting German, at the Miami Open presented by Itau, Roland Garros and the Erste Bank Open, respectively. The way he battled to victory in Tuesday’s encounter was another example of the extra level that De Minaur has found across the season.

As a 16-year-old in 2010, Dominic Thiem gave fans a glimpse of his potential with a breakthrough ATP Challenger Tour match win in Kitzbühel, but it was not until 2013 — after two titles at that level in Morocco — that the Austrian began to make his mark on the professional circuit.

A former junior No. 2, Thiem had to remain patient to lift his first trophy on the Challenger Tour and when he did, he double dipped that same season to soon give him more playing opportunities at the world’s biggest tournaments. Now the 31-year-old is set to bid farewell to his decorated 13-year pro career on home soil at this week’s Erste Bank Open.

“Honestly, I liked the Challenger Tour,” Thiem told ATPTour.com. “My only two Challenger titles came in Morocco. I have great memories. The most important thing for a young player is the huge amount of points you get on the Challenger Tour, but honestly they were also really nice tournaments.”

The week Thiem won his first Challenger title in Kenitra, Morocco, he overcame countryman Gerald Melzer in the quarter-finals. Melzer, three years Thiem’s senior, had a front row seat to watch the growth of the World No. 3.

“When I started practising at the Federation when I was 18 years old, Dominic was like 14 or 15 years old,” Melzer said. “He was basically still a small kid and he was tiny when he was a kid. I think he started growing a little later.”

Daniil Medvedev has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the sixth consecutive season, joining Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev at the season finale.

The 28-year-old won the title at the year-end championships in 2020 and reached the final in 2021. He will try to add to his Nitto ATP Finals resume from 10-17 November in Turin.

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The former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings made his sixth major final at the Australian Open, defeating back-to-back Top 10 opponents Hubert Hurkacz and Alexander Zverev in five-setters to make his third championship match at Melbourne Park. It is the fourth consecutive season in which he has advanced to the final at a Grand Slam tournament.

That was not the only major success for Medvedev this year. He made the semi-finals at Wimbledon, upsetting top seed Sinner in the quarter-finals before falling short against eventual champion Alcaraz.

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Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet headline the wild cards for this year's Rolex Paris Masters, which were announced by the ATP Masters 1000 event on Tuesday.

Monfils will compete in the tournament for the 12th time. He first played the event in 2004 aged 18. The Frenchman is a two-time finalist at Bercy, in 2009 and 2010.

Gasquet will try to make a final magical run at the season's final Masters 1000 event before he retires next year at Roland Garros. The former No. 7 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has played 13 of the past 14 editions of the Rolex Paris Masters and 16 times overall.

Adrian Mannarino and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard have also received a main draw wild card. Mpetshi Perricard will make his main draw debut after playing qualifying at the tournament for the first time last year.

Arthur Cazaux, Hugo Gaston, Quentin Halys and Alexandre Muller were awarded qualifying wild cards. The Rolex Paris Masters will take place next week.

Few could compete with Dominic Thiem at his imperious best: Just ask those who tried.

The 31-year-old Austrian, who this week will compete in the final event of his pro career at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, combined heavy groundstrokes with sublime movement and a rock-solid net game. Those abilities carried him to a career-high No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings and helped him earn 17 tour-level trophies, including a major title at the 2020 US Open.

“He was so complete,” Matteo Berrettini told ATPTour.com this week in Vienna, where Thiem will take on Luciano Darderi in the first round on Tuesday evening. “He had everything. Backhand, forehand, serve, moving well, fighting like hell. He had great hands as well, so he was really tricky to play.

“We played on a lot of different surfaces, but the first time I played him was at Roland Garros in 2018. On clay, I could feel it after three sets. The intensity was really high, and he was fresh [at the end], so I was like, ‘I’ve got to work hard in order to beat this guy’. That was his strength… He was really someone that I always looked up to, because the energy he brought to the court was special.”

For many of Thiem’s fans and his rival players alike, one aspect of the Austrian’s game particularly stood out: his backhand. He arrived on Tour in an era where the one-hander was becoming increasingly rare, particularly among the game’s elite. Yet similarly to his fellow Grand Slam champions Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, one less hand on the racquet had no impact on Thiem’s ability to pack a punch.

Martin Landaluce added his name to an elite company Sunday when he triumphed at the ATP Challenger Tour 125 event in Olbia, Italy.

The 18-year-old, who defeated Mattia Bellucci 6-4, 6-4 in the final, is the youngest Spanish Challenger champion since an 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in Oeiras in 2021.

Landaluce is the fifth Spaniard since 2000 to win a Challenger title at age 18 or younger. The first four players all ascended to the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings: Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Tommy Robredo and Nicolas Almagro.

Following his title run, the #NextGenATP star is up to eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, putting him in qualifying position for the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals, which runs from 18-22 December.

Due to rain at the Olbia Challenger, Landaluce was forced to play both his semi-final and final match on Sunday. The 2022 US Open boys' singles champion showed no signs of nerves as he captured the milestone victory.

Alexander Zverev wasted little time kick-starting his Erste Bank Open campaign on Monday night in Vienna.

The No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings eased past home #NextGenATP wild card Joel Schwaerzler 6-2, 6-2 at the indoor hard-court ATP 500. With his 67-minute victory, Zverev equalled his personal best of 60 tour-level wins in a season from 2018.

Top seed Zverev did not face a break point in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with the 18-year-old Schwaerzler. He won 96 per cent (23/24) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and generally proved too powerful for his relatively inexperienced opponent. After match point, Zverev took a moment at the net to speak with Schwaerzler, who was playing just his second ATP Tour match.

Ruthless Sascha ?

Win No. 6⃣0⃣ in 2024 for the top seed this week in Vienna as he defeats Schwaerzler 6-2 6-2 #ErsteBankOpen | @ErsteBankOpen | ? e|motion/Bildagentur Zolles KG/Christian Hofer pic.twitter.com/AQJK8j13Jy

"I was hoping to have a good match, but the match was over half an hour later and I won one game. I know exactly how [Schwaerzler] feels. It’s not an easy situation to be in, but he’s a wonderful player and he’s going to have a wonderful career. Nobody should judge him by this match.”

#NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils extended his winning streak to 11 matches at ATP 500 events on Monday at the Swiss Indoors Basel, where he defeated German Daniel Altmaier 7-6(5), 6-3.

Fils has been in red-hot form at ATP 500 tournaments recently, triumphing on clay in Hamburg before lifting the trophy on hard in Tokyo.

Aiming for another deep run this week, the 20-year-old saved two set points in the first set against Altmaier before he rallied from a break down in the second set to reach the second round in one hour and 40 minutes.

Fils, currently first in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah and set to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, will next play Jiri Lehecka or Pedro Martinez.

MAGNIFIQUE FILS ?#SwissIndoorsBasel | @ArthurFils1 pic.twitter.com/ROdQDXN6JP

Matteo Berrettini bounced back from a disappointing early exit in Stockholm by producing a dominant performance at the Erste Bank Open on Monday when he moved past Marton Fucsovics 7-5, 6-4 in Vienna.

The Italian, who fell to Dominic Stricker in the second round in Stockholm, did not face a break point against Fucsovics, winning 86 per cent (32/37) of his first-serve points according to Infosys ATP Stats to advance to the second round after one hour and 48 minutes.

“I think it was a really good match. I served really well and I always like to play here,” Berrettini told ATPTour.com. “I was really pumped before coming here and I’m thrilled to be in the second round. I know it’s a tough tournament, but I love to be here. The crowd is great, the court is really nice and I like the conditions, so I’m looking forward to the next match.”

Berrettini, a three-time tour-level titlist in 2024, is making his third appearance at the ATP 500. The No. 41 player in the PIF ATP Rankings reached the semi-finals in 2019 and the quarter-finals in 2021. Aiming for another deep run at the indoor hard tournament, Berrettini will next meet fifth seed Frances Tiafoe or Cameron Norrie.

Earlier, Flavio Cobolli improved to 21-5 in opening-round matches in 2024 with a 7-6(1), 6-3 victory against Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

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The PIF ATP Live Race To Turin intensified during a three-tournament week on the ATP Tour, where Tommy Paul, Roberto Bautista Agut and Karen Khachanov won titles in Stockholm, Antwerp and Almaty, respectively.

With three weeks to go until the Nitto ATP Finals, ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as of Monday, 21 October.

Tommy Paul – 10th (3,135 points)
The American has jumped one spot to 10th after he won his third tour-level title of the season in Stockholm, gaining 250 points in his quest to compete in Turin. Paul did not drop a set en route to the title at the hard-court event to close to 485 points on eighth-placed Andrey Rublev, who occupies the final qualification spot.

View PIF ATP Live Race To Turin

Alex de Minaur – Ninth (3,355 points)
De Minaur reached the quarter-finals in Antwerp, where he competed for the first time since the US Open in September. The Australian has struggled with a hip injury since Wimbledon but now fit again, will hope to make a last-minute push for Turin. The 25-year-old takes to court at the ATP 500 event in Vienna this week.

The PIF ATP Live Race To Turin continues to heat up with three weeks remaining for players to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. With two ATP 500 events this week, the Swiss Indoors Basel and Erste Bank Open, contenders for the season finale have an opportunity to earn vital points.

Seventh-placed Casper Ruud and eighth-placed Andrey Rublev will both try to shore up their standing this week when they compete in Basel. Ruud is 225 points ahead of Rublev, who owns a 265-point edge over ninth-placed Alex de Minaur.

“When you’re in this position, you think about [the Nitto ATP Finals] quite a lot, of course,” Ruud said in Basel. “It’s a fun chase and it’s exciting… It’s good to have something to really motivate yourself with.”

PIF ATP Live Race To Turin (as of 20 October)

Ruud last qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in 2022, when he advanced to the championship match (lost to Novak Djokovic). The Norwegian is in good position to earn his place in the season finale for the third time and can further improve his chances with a strong performance in Switzerland.

Countries participating in the 2025 United Cup have been placed into their groups and assigned to host cities in Perth and Sydney following today's draw in Sydney.

Perth

Sydney

The schedule will be released Tuesday in Australia, when tickets for the group stage in Perth and Sydney go on sale at 5:00 p.m. local time in the respective cities.

Host nation Australia was drawn in Group F in Sydney alongside Great Britain, pitting Aussie No. 1 Alex De Minaur against his girlfriend Katie Boulter. Group F will also feature one of two teams to be announced in late November. Also in Sydney, Poland headlines Group B with Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz (pictured above). Italy headlines Group D with Jasmine Paoline and Flavio Cobolli.

The celebration of Dominic Thiem's storied career has begun at the Erste Bank Open.

The former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings was honoured on a special 'Super Sunday' at the indoor hard-court ATP 500 in Vienna. After Thiem played an exhibition set against Alexander Zverev — the man he defeated to win his only major title at the 2020 US Open — a host of tennis and other sporting icons gathered to pay tribute to the retiring star.

“It was an incredible journey. You were the most important ones, opponents and friends and it was always a pleasure to be with you,” said Thiem after walking through a guard of honour that included his ATP Tour rivals Frances Tiafoe, Matteo Berrettini and Jack Draper, as well as his former coach Nicolas Massu and Germans Boris Becker, Tommy Haas and Matthias Bachinger. “It means so much to me that you were there today.”

Things we love to see ?#DankeDomi | @ErsteBankOpen pic.twitter.com/Rzvtm4RX51

Thiem is a huge star in Austria and has been a highly popular presence on the ATP Tour with fans and fellow players alike since he turned pro in 2011. He lifted 17 tour-level trophies before his career was disrupted by a serious wrist injury in 2021. Although he returned to competing in 2022, he was unable to rediscover his best form and announced in May that 2024 would be his final season on Tour.

Thiem still has one final ATP Tour event to play before he hangs up his racquet. The 31-year-old will take on Luciano Darderi in the first-round in Vienna, where he lifted the title in 2019.

Top seed Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini are among the stars headlining action on Monday at the Erste Bank Open.

Zverev will be aiming to reignite the form that drove him to success in the Austrian capital in 2021 when he gets his 2024 campaign underway against #NextGenATP wild card Joel Schwaerzler. Berrettini eyes a fourth ATP Tour title of the year and faces qualifier Marton Fucsovics in his opener.

View the full Monday order of play below to see who is competing, on which court, and when they are scheduled.

[ATP APP]

ORDER OF PLAY - MONDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2024
Center Court - start at 2pm 
Flavio Cobolli (ITA) vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP)
[Q] Marton Fucsovics vs Matteo Berrettini (ITA)

The Swiss Indoors Basel main draw begins Monday, with some of the world's biggest stars in action. Among those on the order of player are top seed Andrey Rublev and surging #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils.

View the full Monday order of play below to see who is competing, on which court, and when they are scheduled.

ORDER OF PLAY - MONDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2024

Centre Court - start 2 p.m.
[5] Ugo Humbert (FRA) vs [Q] Jerome Kym (SUI)
[Q] Daniel Altmaier (GER) vs [7] Arthur Fils (FRA)

Starts At 6:30 p.m.
Opening Ceremony