Scouting Report: Sinner, Alcaraz headline Beijing; Fritz, defending champ Shelton compete in Tokyo
The Asian swing is heating up, with excitement building as attention turns to two eagerly anticipated ATP 500 hard-court events in Beijing and Tokyo.
After clinching his second major crown at the US Open earlier this month, Jannik Sinner is back in action on the ATP Tour, bidding to successfully defend his title at the China Open against a stacked field that features Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev.
In Tokyo, past champions Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton are among the contenders for the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships title.
ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each event.
[ATP APP]FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN BEIJING
1) Sinner’s title defence: Jannik Sinner soared to glory at last year’s China Open, defeating both Alcaraz and Medvedev as the sixth seed en route to the title. The Italian is now No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, a two-time Grand Slam champion, and seemingly poised to successfully defend the title in Beijing.
2) Will Alcaraz bounce back? Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shocking defeat in the second round of the US Open to Botic van de Zandschulp and, after helping guide Team Europe to glory at the Laver Cup, the Spaniard will return to China with a point to prove. The 21-year-old sits third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 1,590 points ahead of Medvedev, and is pursuing his fourth title of the season.
3) Home hope Zhang: Chinese star Zhang Zhizhen returns to Beijing for the first time since 2019, when he fell to eventual champion Dominic Thiem in the second round. The explosive 27-year-old is coming into the tournament fresh off the back of a deep run at the Hangzhou Open, where he will play the final Tuesday, and offers plenty of hope for the home crowd. Other Chinese stars to watch will include #NextGenATP Shang Juncheng, who is competing in the Chengdu final Tuesday.
4) Can Medvedev avenge 2023 defeat? Daniil Medvedev fell short to Sinner in last year’s thrilling final in Beijing, but the 28-year-old will be eager to rewrite the script this time around if they are to cross paths. After his triumph over Medvedev in the US Open quarter-finals, Sinner has closed the gap to 6-7 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
5) Koolhof/Mektic chasing Turin spot: Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic, who currently occupy ninth place in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, find themselves within touching distance of an all-important spot at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, but they will need to put points on the board as they kick off their Asia swing in Beijing.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN TOKYO
1) Feel-good Fritz aiming for Turin: Taylor Fritz will be hoping to maintain the form that propelled him into a maiden major final at the US Open. The 26-year-old, who is enjoying his best season on Tour, is fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and in strong contention to make his second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. Fritz starts against #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils in Tokyo.
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2) Defending champ Shelton back in Tokyo: Ben Shelton returns to the site where he won his maiden ATP Tour title 12 months ago. It capped off a strong end to the 2023 season for the 21-year-old, who also made the semi-finals of the US Open. The American fell in the third round at Flushing Meadows this year to Frances Tiafoe in a blockbuster five-setter. The eighth seed plays countryman Reilly Opelka in the first round.
3) American threats at every turn: Fritz and Shelton are joined in the main draw by Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe, two other American men who also find themselves inside the Top 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Brandon Nakashima earned a special exempt spot due to his deep run at the Hangzhou Open. Paul is 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and 570 points behind eighth-placed Alex de Minaur, who is not competing in Tokyo due to injury.
4) Wild card for Nishikori: Two-time champion Kei Nishikori was granted a wild card to return to Tokyo for the first time since 2018. The former No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings has been hampered by injuries in recent times but is working his way back to full health with some impressive tennis. The 34-year-old reached the quarter-finals at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Genoa before coming up short against #NextGenATP Chinese lefty Shang in the first round of the Chengdu Open last week.
5) Hurkacz, Ruud among stars to watch: The eight seeded players in the singles draw are all in the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings. Other stars to watch are second seed Hubert Hurkacz, third seed Casper Ruud, fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and sixth seed Holger Rune. Ruud crucially is sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and is trying to make his return to the Nitto ATP Finals after missing out one year ago.
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