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

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 looks at five things to watch at each tournament.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ALMATY
1) Top Seed Tiafoe: The American showed what he is capable of 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 a qualifier.

2) Tremendous Tabilo: Alejandro Tabilo has been one of the breakthrough stars of the 2024 season. The Chilean lefty began his year at No. 85 in the PIF ATP Rankings and has climbed as high as World No. 19. A champion in Auckland and Mallorca in 2024, the second seed will open his pursuit of a third trophy against Damir Dzumhur or Maximilian Marterer.

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

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

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

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ANTWERP
1) De Minaur Returns: The top seed at the Belgian ATP 250 is De Minaur, who will compete for the first time since reaching the US Open quarter-finals due to injury. The Australian is ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, and will make his return against Roberto Carballes Baena or Dominik Koepfer.

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

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

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

5) Krawietz/Puetz Top Doubles Seeds: Kevin Krawietz captured glory at the European Open in 2019 with Andres Mies. This edition, he will pursue the trophy with another countryman, Tim Puetz, with whom he is sixth in the PIF ATP Doubles Teams Rankings. The second seeds are 2023 Nitto ATP Finals competitors Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

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FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN STOCKHOLM
1) Rublev On The Bubble: Top seed Andrey Rublev is in a tight battle 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 can help secure his standing with a deep run in Stockholm, where he will play Leo Borg or Alexandre Muller in his opening match.

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

3) Borg, Wawrinka & Ymer Wild Cards: This year’s Stockholm main draw singles wild cards went to Swede Leo Borg, the son of Bjorn Borg, former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka and home favourite Elias Ymer. Wawrinka debuted in Stockholm in 2010, when he advanced to the quarter-finals before losing to Roger Federer in three sets.

4) Former Champion Dimitrov: Grigor Dimitrov, the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion, is 10th in the Live Race, 645 points behind eighth-placed Rublev. The Bulgarian will hope that his fond memories of Stockholm, where he won his first ATP Tour title in 2013, help him narrow the deficit. Dimitrov will begin his event against Quentin Halys or Sumit Nagal.

5) Heliovaara/Patten Lead Doubles Field: This year’s Wimbledon doubles champions, Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, are the top seeds in Stockholm. Having also triumphed together in Marrakech and Lyon, they will try to earn their fourth title of the season. The second seeds are Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski.

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