From deep fields to Grand Slam contenders: Previewing Adelaide, Auckland and Hobart

WATCH: After representing Great Britain last week in the United Cup, Cameron Norrie is among the stars in action this week.

The Australian Open doesn’t begin for another week, but it feels like we’re halfway in the door at Melbourne Park, doesn’t it? Most of the top contenders will spend the week there, getting in their final practice swings and sponsor appearances. Once the draws are made in a few days, there won’t be any other subject on the tennis world’s mind.

But there are still tune-up tournaments to be played. Four of them, at three locations: Adelaide, Auckland and Hobart. The fields don’t feature a Djokovic, Nadal or Swiatek, but they’re deeper than you might expect, and they have more to tell us about who will be ready, and who might be gassed, come next Monday. Here’s a quick look at the draws.

Adelaide International 2 (WTA)

• Adelaide, Australia
• $780.637; WTA 500
• Hard court
• Draw is here

Don’t let the unimaginative tournament name fool you. The AI2 may have lost its top three seeds—Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, and Jessica Pegula—to 11th-hour withdrawals, but it still has an entertainingly strong field for an event so close to a Slam.

Caroline Garcia and Daria Kasatkina are the top two seeds, but it’s the first-round matches that give you an idea of how broadly interesting this tournament should be. They include:

• Belinda Bencic vs. Garbiñe Muguruza
• Danielle Collins vs. Karolina Pliskova
• Paula Badosa vs. Anett Kontaveit
• Petra Kvitova vs. Elena Rybakina
• Victoria Azarenka vs. Veronika Kudermetova
• Qinwen Zheng vs. Shelby Rogers
• Amanda Anisimova vs. Liudmila Samsonova

New name of the week: Storm Hunter. You probably know this newlywed as Storm Sanders. The 28-year-old Aussie has a wild card and will start against Irina-Camelia Begu.

Adelaide International 2 (ATP)

• Adelaide, Australia
• $713,495; ATP 250
• Hard court
• Draw is here

The women’s event in Adelaide this week is a 500, while the men’s is a smaller 250, and the field reflects it—the popcorn first-rounders are fewer and farther between.

Andrey Rublev is the top seed, and he could use a deep run after going out early on the same courts last week. Also here are Pablo Carreño Busta, Karen Khachanov, Dan Evans, Tommy Paul and Miomir Kecmanovic.

First-round match to watch: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Brandon Nakashima

Back from oblivion: Kyle Edmund. The 2018 Aussie Open semifinalist, who is now 28 years old, will start against Kecmanovic.

ASB Classic (ATP)

• Auckland, New Zealand
• $713,495; ATP 250
• Hard court
• Draw is here

Auckland’s men’s draw isn’t especially deep, but it does have a pair of notable names—Casper Ruud and Cameron Norrie—at the top of its seeding list. Notable, and low-key, the Brit and the Norwegian are both coming off career years, and both would seem to be viable Slam contenders in 2023. Yet neither generates the buzz that usually accompanies that status. Ruud nearly finished No. 1 in 2022, and Norrie has looked sharp to begin 2023.

First-round match to watch, or, perhaps, turn away from: Fabio Fognini vs. Jenson Brooksby.

Hobart International (WTA)

• Hobart, Australia
• $259,303; WTA 250
• Hard court
• Draw is here

Marie Bouzkova is the top seed at the WTA’s smaller event of the week, followed by Elise Mertens, Alizé Cornet and Sloane Stephens.

Wild card to watch: Sofia Kenin. Can the 2020 Australian Open champion, now ranked No. 227, find a semblance of her Top 5 form in 2023?