Scouting Report: Ruud, De Minaur, Rublev chase Turin spots in Belgrade & Metz
The final week of the regular ATP Tour season is here, with ATP 250 events at the Belgrade Open and the Moselle Open.
Chasing precious points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, Alex de Minaur leads the field in Belgrade, where Stan Wawrinka also competes. In Metz, Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud will aim to seal their spots at the Nitto ATP Finals.
ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch ahead of the two indoor hard events.
[ATP APP]FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN METZ
1) Ruud chasing Turin: Casper Ruud arrives in Metz seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The Norwegian, who is on 3,855 points, is aiming to make his third appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 10-17 November. The 25-year-old will try to break a three-match losing streak when he takes on Roberto Bautista Agut or a qualifier in his first match.
2) Rublev aiming to join Ruud in Italy: Andrey Rublev is the top seed in Metz and is two spots behind Ruud in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The 27-year-old is on 3,720 points, trailing Ruud by 135 points, with eighth-placed Alex de Minaur (3,745 points) in between. Rublev is chasing his third title of the year in the north east of France.
3) Defending champ Humbert: Fresh off his deep run at the Rolex Paris Masters, Ugo Humbert bids for more success on home soil in Metz. The defending Metz champion also triumphed in Marseille this season, in addition to his Dubai title. While both of those trophies came early in the season, Humbert reached the Tokyo final in September, early in the indoor hard-court season. He will open his Metz campaign with an all-French matchup against Hugo Gaston.
4) Rune’s late-season run: Holger Rune is writing a strong closing chapter to his 2024 season, with recent semi-final showings in Tokyo, Basel and Paris. The Metz fourth seed will face a quick turnaround after his Paris run, a transition made easier by the relative proximity of the two French cities, just a three-hour drive apart.
5) #NextGenATP Michelsen: Alex Michelsen’s season will wrap up at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in Jeddah, but the 20-year-old American first has a chance to build some winning momentum as the eighth seed in Metz. Though he is 2-3 in his past three events, Michelsen beat 12th seed Hubert Hurkacz in Paris and pushed both Novak Djokovic (Shanghai) and Arthur Rinderknech (Paris) to two tie-breaks in defeat.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN BELGRADE
1) Can De Minaur seal Turin spot?: After reaching the quarter-finals in Paris, Alex de Minaur arrives in Belgrade in eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The Australian, on 3,745 points, is trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. He will play Stan Wawrinka or Laslo Djere in his opening match.
2) Cerundolo seeks second title: With one title in each of 2022 (Bastad), 2023 (Eastbourne) and 2024 (Umag), Francisco Cerundolo could close his campaign by clinching his first multi-trophy season on the ATP Tour. The Argentine was beaten by Stefanos Tsitsipas in Basel and Paris, but notched a 7-6(6), 7-6(5) win against Rublev in the French capital.
3) Four Serbians dot the draw: The host nation will be represented by Miomir Kecmanovic, Dusan Lajovic and wild cards Hamad Medjedovic and Laslo Djere. Both Lajovic (vs. Nuno Borges) and Medjedovic (vs. Brandon Nakashima) will open against seeded players, while Djere meets wild card Wawrinka and Kecmanovic takes on Aussie Christopher O’Connell.
4) Cilic, Wawrinka, Fognini represent old guard: Marin Cilic (36), Fabio Fognini (37) and Wawrinka (39) will be among the fan favourites in Belgrade as the veterans seek strong finishes to their years. Cilic, who enters with a protected ranking, opens against Alexandre Muller, while Fogini faces Roman Safiullin in the first round.
5) China’s Shang seeks return to form before Jeddah: After winning his maiden tour-level title in Chengdu in September, 19-year-old Shang Juncheng has picked up just one more tour-level win during the indoor swing. With the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF looming, Shang will look to rediscover his top form, beginning with his opening match against Fabian Marozsan.
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