Scouting Report: Felix & Fritz in D.C.; ATP 250s in Los Cabos, Kitzbühel

With one week to go before the ATP Masters 1000 in Toronto, three events are on the schedule across North America and Europe. Two North American hard-court events — an ATP 500 in Washington, D.C. and an ATP 250 in Los Cabos — are joined by an ATP 250 on the clay of Kitzbühel.

ATPTour.com breaks down the storylines to watch at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo and the Generali Open.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
1) Top Seed Fritz Returns: Taylor Fritz will compete in D.C. for the third straight year and the fourth time overall, seeking to improve upon his 2-3 record. Following a deep run on the Atlanta hard courts, the American will have his hands full in his nation’s capital: After an opening bye, he is seeded to meet Andy Murray in the third round.

2) Hometown Tiafoe Among Five American Seeds: The second-seeded Tiafoe could face 14th seed Ben Shelton in the third round, with Americans Sebastian Korda, Christopher Eubanks and J.J. Wolf also seeded. Tiafoe, who is from nearby Maryland, will be making his seventh appearance in D.C., with his best previous result a quarter-final showing last season.

3) Hurkacz, Auger-Aliassime Among Big-Name Contenders: Hubert Hurkacz and Felix Auger-Aliassime round out the top four seeds, while returning finalist Yoshihito Nishioka — who lost to Nick Kyrgios last year in the title round — is seeded 10th.

4) Nishikori, Anderson Continue Comebacks: Two greats of the game will bid to step up their returns to the ATP Tour — Kei Nishikori back from injury and Kevin Anderson in his second tournament after coming out of retirement. Both wild cards, Nishikori will open against Lloyd Harris and would face Eubanks in the second round, while Anderson faces Jordan Thompson, with seventh seed Adrian Mannarino awaiting beyond that.

5) Ram/Salisbury Lead Doubles Draw: Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury are the top doubles seeds, with Austin Krajicek and Mate Pavic seeded second. Krajicek/Pavic will face Daniel Evans and Andy Murray in an intriguing opening-round matchup. Also in the first round, Hurkacz and Tiafoe will meet Eubanks and Korda.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN LOS CABOS
1) Debutant Tsitsipas Set For First Action Since Wimbledon: Stefanos Tsitsipas will be the top seed in Los Cabos, where he will be making his first appearance. But the Greek is no stranger to success on Mexican hard courts: He holds a 7-2 record in Acapulco, where he reached a final and a semi-final in his two outings.

2) Norrie Aims To Continue Dominance: Cameron Norrie followed up his 2021 title in Los Cabos with a final run in 2022. He has reached at least the semis in three of his four Los Cabos appearances, compiling an 11-3 record.

3) De Minaur Bids For Mexican Trophy Double: After winning the Acapulco title in March, Alex de Minaur will hope to extend his winning streak in Mexico. After reaching the Queen’s Club final and losing to Carlos Alcaraz, the Aussie picked up just one win apiece at Wimbledon and in Atlanta.

4) Paul Returns To Hard Courts: After five straight tournaments on grass, including a final run in Eastbourne, Tommy Paul  is back on the hard courts in Los Cabos. While he is making his debut at the ATP 500, he has already reached a Mexican final this season in Acapulco.

5) Other Contenders: Borna Coric, John Isner, Cristian Garin and Dominik Koepfer are among the other top players set to compete in Los Cabos.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN KITZBUHEL
1) Thiem, Ofner Among Austrian Hopes: Wild card Dominic Thiem and fourth seed Sebastian Ofner will seek deep runs with the support of the Austrian crowd. Thiem, who won the event in 2019, joins Thomas Muster (1993) as the lone Austrian champions in the long history of the tournament, which dates back to 1968.

2) Returning Finalist Misolic Seeks More Home Magic: One year after a stunning run to the final as a 20-year-old, Filip Misolic will again look to make the most of a wild card on home soil. After defeat to Roberto Bautista Agut in last year’s title match, the Austrian will open against a qualifier this year.

3) Argentines Etcheverry, Cachin In Opposite Halves: Seeded first and third, respectively, Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Pedro Cachin will hope to meet in an all-Argentine final. Etcheverry will open against Misolic or a qualifier, while Cachin will begin his campaign against Albert Ramos-Vinolas or Juan Pablo Varillas.

4) Germans Hanfmann, Altmaier Seeded: Second seed Yannick Hanfmann will face a tough opening test against Arthur Rinderknech or Alexei Popyrin, while eighth seed Daniel Altmaier meets Marc-Andrea Huesler in the first round.

5) Austrians Erler/Miedler Lead Doubles Draw: Top seeds Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler are one of three all-Austrian teams in the Kitzbühel draw. Thiem and Ofner will team up as wild cards, as will Misolic and Joel Josef Schwärzler.