A week of 250-point events is on tap in the immediate aftermath of the Asian swing. Interestingly, there are three World Tour Finals hopefuls in action—one at each of the three tournaments. Gael Monfils is in good position for a London berth, Moscow top seed Roberto Bautista Agut surged into the mix thanks to a runner-up performance in Shanghai, and Antwerp headliner David Goffin has designs of stealing the No. 8 spot from either Rafael Nadal or Dominic Thiem.
If Stockholm Open
Where: Stockholm, Sweden
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize money: 566,525 Euros
Points: 250
Top seed: Gael Monfils
2015 champion: Tomas Berdych (not playing)
Draw analysis: A rough top half of the Stockholm bracket includes Monfils, Alexander Zverev, Steve Johnson, Jack Sock, Gilles Muller, and Dustin Brown. Muller and Brown have to go head-to-head in the first round, with the winner possibly to face Sock in the last 16 and Monfils in the quarterfinals. Zverev and Johnson are on a collision course for the quarters and there is no reason why either one should lose prior to that showdown based on their respective draws.
The big story in the bottom half is an opening-round showdown between Juan Martin Del Potro and John Isner. They also met in round one on the grass courts of Queen’s Club a few months ago, when Isner got the job done 7-6(2), 6-4. Del Potro has taken his comeback to new heights since then, however, and probably has to be considered the favorite in his half to reach the Stockholm title match. But an in-form Grigor Dimitrov, who is the No. 2 seed, may have other ideas.
Hot: Gael Monfils, Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, Jack Sock, Juan Martin Del Potro
Cold: John Isner, Benjamin Becker, Adrian Mannarino, Ivan Dodig
Semifinal predictions: Alexander Zverev over Jack Sock and Grigor Dimitrov over Juan Martin Del Potro
Final: Zverev over Dimitrov
European Open
Where: Antwerp, Belgium
Surface: Indoor hard
Points: 250
Prize money: 566,525 Euros
Top seed: David Goffin
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Draw analysis: A new tournament in Belgium should be music to Goffin’s ears. The No. 1 seed and sure-fire crowd favorite in Antwerp was red hot this spring and may have heated back up last week with a quarterfinal showing at the Shanghai Masters. Although just 250 points are available at this event, a full 250 would go a long way for Goffin’s bid to qualify for the World Tour Finals. The world No. 12 should not have any real issue reaching at least the final, although either Joao Sousa or Benoit Paire in the quarters and Nicolas Mahut in the semis could present a slight problem.
With David Ferrer wrapping up a tough season and Richard Gasquet having dealt with recent physical struggles, the bottom half of the draw appears to be more wide open. Shanghai semifinalist Gilles Simon may be more dangerous at the moment than both Ferrer and Gasquet, while unseeded threats Mikhail Youzhny and Kyle Edmund are also in fine form right now. Simon and Gasquet could square off in the quarterfinals and Ferrer’s opener is likely to come against Edmund.
Hot: David Goffin, Nicolas Mahut, Kyle Edmund, Illya Marchenko,
Cold: David Ferrer, Richard Gasquet, Andreas Seppi, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Benoit Paire, Tommy Robredo
Semifinals: David Goffin over Nicolas Mahut and Gilles Simon over David Ferrer
Final: Goffin over Simon
Kremlin Cup
Where: Moscow, Russia
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize money: $717,250
Points: 250
Top seed: Roberto Bautista Agut
2015 champion: Marin Cilic (not playing)
Draw analysis: Moscow is saddled with by far the weakest field of the three entry lists this week. Look no further than first-round bye recipients to notice the glaring lack of top-notch quality in the draw. Joining Bautista Agut with free passes to the last 16 are Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Philipp Kohlschreiber, and Viktor Troicki. Even if Bautista Agut is fatigued following his deep run in Shanghai, there may not be anyone to stop him this week. The Spaniard may not have to take the court until Thursday, too, so that would give him plenty of recuperation time.
A relatively difficult top half of the bracket includes Bautista Agut, Troicki, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Chengdu champion Karen Khachanov. Troicki upset Rafael Nadal in Shanghai before succumbing to Bautista Agut, while Carreno Busta beat Bautista Agut in this summer’s Winston-Salem final. There are no clear favorites in the bottom half, as neither Ramos-Vinolas nor Kohlschreiber is in especially strong form. Don’t be surprised if Fabio Fognini, Thomaz Bellucci, or Janko Tipsarevic makes some noise as an unseeded entrant.
Hot: Roberto Bautista Agut, Paolo Lorenzi, Karen Khachanov
Cold: Philipp Kohlschreiber, Fabio Fognini, Stephane Robert
Semifinals: Roberto Bautista Agut over Viktor Troicki and Andrey Kuznetsov over Paolo Lorenzi
Final: Bautista Agut over Kuznetsov
Comments and your own predictions are appreciated!
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