Clay and hard courts take center stage this week on the ATP Tour, hosting Top 20 stars across three ATP 250 tournaments spread across two continents.
Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz heads the Plava Laguna Croatia Open in Umag, while Dominic Thiem will be one of the big draws at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel. In the United States, John Isner will chase his seventh title on the hard court of the Atlanta Open.
ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch for this week in every tournament.
Picture: Atlanta | Kitzbühel | mold
FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN ATLANTA
1) Opelka tops the bill: Reilly Opelka will lead the bill in Atlanta, in what will be his fifth participation in this ATP 250 tournament. The 24-year-old American, who has won titles in 2022 on American soil in Dallas and Houston, reached the semifinals in Atlanta in 2016 and 2019 , before reaching the quarterfinals last year. The top seed will open once morest Ilya Ivashka or Quentin Halys.
2) Will Isner continue his love affair in Atlanta? Isner has won six Atlanta crowns, most recently last year when he beat countryman Brandon Nakashima in the final. At 37, he lifted his first trophy in 2013 and has a 36-5 record in this tournament. His debut will be once morest NCAA champion Ben Shelton or a qualifying opponent.
3) Kyrgios returns: Two weeks following contesting his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, Nick Kyrgios will try to maintain his momentum on the hard court in Atlanta. The Aussie, who has a 21-7 record this season, was already a champion in Georgia, following defeating Isner to clinch the title in 2016. He will begin his title hunt once morest a rival from the qualifier.
4) Local hopes: Not counting qualifiers, there are 11 Americans in the draw, with Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Sebastian Korda among the biggest names. Tiafoe is participating for the fifth time in Atlanta, her best result this season being the final in Estoril. Paul comes off a great tour on grass, where he posted a 7-4 record, while Korda returns for the first time since June, where he was sidelined with injury at Eastbourne.
5) Kyrgios and Kokkinakis, attractive in doubles: Australian Open champions Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis join forces in Atlanta for the first time since the semifinals in Miami last March. However, the Australian duo will be in a tough draw where the favorites are Roland Garros finalists Austin Krajicek and Ivan Dodig. Americans Rajeev Ram and Jack Sock, as well as Wimbledon champions Matthew Ebden and Max Purceel will also take part in the tournament.
FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN KIZTBÜHEL
1) Ruud will not defend his title: Casper Ruud, who conquered the crown in Gstaad this Sunday, has been absent at the last minute in Kitzbühel and will not be in the Austrian ATP 250 to defend the crown he won last year. The first slot occupied by the Norwegian will be replaced by No. 5 seed Albert Ramos Viñolas, who will debut once morest his compatriot Carlos Taberner or the Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas.
2) Thiem plays at home: Austrian Dominic Thiem will contest for the ninth time in Kitzbühel this week. The 28-year-old won the title in his last appearance in 2019, while in 2014 he also appeared in the final. Thiem arrives with confidence, following the quarter-finals in Bastad and the semi-finals in Gstaad. Thiem will face lucky loser Alexander Shevchenko in the first round.
3) Five Spaniards: Clay courts and Spanish players have always been synonymous with success. Kitzbühel awaits the participation of five Navy rackets, with Albert Ramos and Roberto Bautista Agut —with a bye in the first round— among the top seeds. For his part, Pedro Martínez will be the rival of Nicolás Jarry, Pablo Andújar will face Lorenzo Sonego and Taberner will face Varillas.
4) South American talent: Also among the candidates for the title are names like Chilean Cristian Garín, who will have a difficult start once morest Federico Coria. The youngest of the Coria brothers will be one of the two Argentines who are part of the main draw of Kiztbühel. The other racket will be that of No. 319 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings Hernán Casanova, who will start his run once morest Jurij Rodionov.
5) Erdler/Miedler defend title: Wild cards Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler enjoyed a dream week to win their first ATP Tour title at Kitzbühel 2021 and this season they will be able to defend their crown. Tim Puetz and Michael Venus are the top favourites, while Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop take on the second-seeded tag and Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies third.
FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN UMAG
1) Alcaraz is the current champion: Umag has great memories for Carlos Alcaraz, who lifted his first title in this ATP 250 last year. The Spaniard, who was No. 73 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings when he won the trophy 12 months ago, will now top the field as the top seed, having contested the final in Hamburg once morest Lorenzo Musetti. At 19 years old, this Monday he will debut in the Top 5, and this year he debuted in the ATP Masters 1000 category with the titles in Miami and Madrid.
2) Sinner is chasing his first title in 2022: Jannik Sinner will compete for the first time since reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals in Umag. The 20-year-old Italian has reached the quarter-finals six times this season, but he has yet to add to his tally of five ATP Tour titles this season. Sinner, who reached the second round in his tournament debut in 2019, will face either Jaume Munar or Mikael Ymer in his debut.
3) Baez follows his upline: Sebastián Báez is enjoying the best season of his career. The Argentine lifted his first trophy on the clay of Estoril, while in Bastad he reached the final earlier this month, where he lost to compatriot Francisco Cerúndolo in the final. At 21 years old, he will participate for the first time in Umag.
4) Rune turns heads: #NextGenATP Danish Holger Rune started the year in strong form, lifting the title in Munich before upsetting Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the Roland Garros quarter-finals. The 19-year-old, ranked No. 3 in the Pepperstone ATP Race to Milan, will try to find the best version of himself to snap a six-match losing streak. His first match will be once morest Spaniard Bernabé Zapata Miralles or local wild card Dino Prizmic.
5) Bolelli / Fognini, the favorites: Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini lift their first title as a team in Umag in 2011. And the Italians are the main favorites this week in Croatia, where they will try to add their second title of the year. Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez are the No. 2 seeds, who will be chasing their fourth title since joining as a team in March.
