Can Ruud, Rublev strengthen qualification hopes during critical Basel-Vienna 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)
| Player | Points |
| 7) Casper Ruud | 3,845 |
| 8) Andrey Rublev | 3,620 |
| 9) Alex de Minaur | 3,355 |
| 10) Tommy Paul | 3,135 |
| 11) Grigor Dimitrov | 3,100 |
| 12) Stefanos Tsitsipas | 2,875 |
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.
The 25-year-old is the second seed in Basel and will play Antwerp champion Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round. It is a difficult opening matchup for Ruud, who trails Bautista Agut 1-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
[ATP APP]Rublev is trying to qualify for the year-end championships for the fifth consecutive season. He is in the final qualifying position, but will be keen to make a deep run this week to build his advantage over the chasing pack, led by De Minaur.
The Australian has never qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, but could improve his chances of competing at Inalpi Arena by advancing through the Vienna draw. De Minaur will open his tournament against Jan-Lennard Struff.
Another player seeking his first Nitto ATP Finals qualification is 10th-placed Tommy Paul, who improved his standing by winning the Stockholm title. The American is 485 points behind Rublev for the final qualifying spot, making a deep run in Vienna critical. Paul faces a tricky challenge in the first round against countryman Brandon Nakashima.
Eleventh-placed Grigor Dimitrov, the Stockholm runner-up and 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion, is competing in Vienna. Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2019 season finale winner, is in action in Basel.
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