The Asian swing came to an end with Jannik Sinner’s victory over Novak Djokovic in the Shanghai Masters final, so now the home stretch of the tennis season really begins on European indoor hard courts. Up first is a busy week with a trio of ATP 250s in Stockholm, Antwerp, and Almaty. Among those taking the court are Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex de Minaur, and Frances Tiafoe.
Let’s break down the three tournaments.
Where: Stockholm, Sweden
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize money: 690,135 Euros
Points: 250
Top seed: Andrey Rublev
2023 champion: Gael Monfils (not playing)
Draw analysis: This field is absolutely stacked, led by Rublev, Ruud, Dimitrov, and Tommy Paul. The bottom half of the draw is especially loaded, as Ruud and Dimitrov are joined by Matteo Berrettini, Tallon Griekspoor, and Lorenzo Sonego. Ruud could run into Sonego in the last 16 and Griekspoor in the quarterfinals; Dimitrov may have to face Berrettini in the last eight.
Rublev also won’t have an easy road as the No. 1 seed. He could meet Alexandre Muller in the second round, Brandon Nakashima in the quarters, and Paul in the semis. All three of those guys have been playing stellar tennis of late.
Hot: Brandon Nakashima, Matteo Berrettini, Alexandre Muller
Cold: Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Nicolas Jarry, Dominic Stricker, Stan Wawrinka
Quarterfinal predictions: Andrey Rublev over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Tommy Paul over Cameron Norrie, Matteo Berrettini over Grigor Dimitrov, and Tallon Griekspoor over Casper Ruud
Semifinals: Paul over Rublev and Berrettini over Griekspoor
Final: Berrettini over Paul
European Open
Where: Antwerp, Belgium
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize money: 690,135 Euros
Points: 250
Top seed: Alex de Minaur
2023 champion: Alexander Bublik (not playing)
Draw analysis: De Minaur has been less than 100 percent since Wimbledon, but he still managed to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals and he is back on the court in Antwerp to continue his push for the Nitto ATP Finals. The Aussie has a favorable draw this week, as the other seed in his section is clay-courter Mariano Navone and the second-highest seed in the top half is a struggling Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Things are similarly wide open in the bottom half of the bracket. Tsitsipas and Sebastian Baez are the two players with first-round byes, but Tsitsipas is lacking confidence and Baez is not a serious factor on indoor hard courts. Jiri Lehecka, Marcos Giron, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and Zizou Bergs could take advantage.
Hot: Mariano Navone, Zizou Bergs
Cold: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Richard Gasquet, Dominik Koepfer
Quarterfinal predictions: Alex de Minaur over Mariano Navone, Roberto Bautista Agut over Marton Fucsovics, Marcos Giron over Zizou Bergs, and Jiri Lehecka over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Semifinals: Bautista Agut over De Minaur and Lehecka over Giron
Final: Bautista Agut over Lehecka
Almaty Open
Where: Almaty, Kazakhstan
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize money: $1,036,700
Points: 250
Top seed: Frances Tiafoe
Defending champion: Adrian Mannarino
Draw analysis: This event will probably get overshadowed by Stockholm and Antwerp, but the fifth iteration of the Almaty Open is actually quite a good one. The field includes Tiafoe, Alejandro Tabilo, Francisco Cerundolo, Karen Khachanov, and a red-hot Tomas Machac. Given his current form, Machac would have to be considered the title favorite. The Czech advanced to round four at the U.S. Open and just upset Carlos Alcaraz en route to the Shanghai semifinals. In Almaty, the Czech is on course to meet Khachanov in the quarterfinals and Tiafoe in the semis.
The seeded players are less formidable in the bottom half, which leaves the door open for pretty much anyone and everyone. Gabriel Diallo, who is starting to break through on the main tour, and Kazakhstan’s own Alexander Shevchenko are more than capable of taking advantage.
Hot: Frances Tiafoe, Tomas Machac, Gabriel Diallo
Cold: Alejandro Tabilo, Karen Khachanov, Adrian Mannarino, Borna Coric
Quarterfinal predictions: Roman Safiullin over Frances Tiafoe, Tomas Machac over Karen Khachanov, Francisco Cerundolo over Alexander Shevchenko, and Gabriel Diallo over Alejandro Tabilo
Semifinals: Machac over Safiullin and Diallo over Cerundolo
Final: Machac over Diallo
who ya got?