Week in Preview: Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz among Turin hopefuls in Tokyo

The big events of the Asian swing are mostly past now. The showcase 1000s in Beijing (for the WTA) and Shanghai (for the ATP) are over, and the tours are starting to pull up stakes and head for other continents.

As of this week, the events are still split: four are in Europe, and two in Asia. The tours’ top stars aren’t in action, but the second and third tiers on the men’s side very much are. While the field for the WTA Finals in Cancun is set, the scramble to make the ATP Finals in Turin is just getting going.

Kinsohita Group Japan Open (ATP)

Tokyo

$2,022,700; ATP 500

Hard court

Draw is here

The ATP’s 500 in Tokyo traditionally precedes the 1000 in Shanghai, and apparently that’s how it will be again next year. In 2023, though, the order has been reversed; rather than using Tokyo to build up to Shanghai, the players will take a slight step downward on their way out of Asia.

Still, a 500 is a 500, and there are plenty of players here who can use as many of those points as they can get. That includes Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz, Tommy Paul, Alex De Minaur, Karen Khachanov, and Frances Tiafoe, all of whom are in the running for the final spots in Turin. Right now, they sit in the No. 9 through 15 positions in the race, with Fritz at the top.

But another Turin hopeful, Alexander Zverev, won’t earn any more points in Tokyo. He lost his opener to Jordan Thompson.

First-round match to watch: Fritz vs. Cam Norrie

Sign of how quickly things can change: Hurkacz, who is coming off a 1000-level title in Shanghai last week, is unseeded in Tokyo.

European Open (ATP)

Antwerp, Belgium

$850,000; ATP 250

Indoor hard court

Draw is here

Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas is the only player in Antwerp with designs on Turin. He’s currently sixth in the race, 500 points clear of No. 8 Holger Rune. Whether that means he’s safe or not, the slumping Tsitsipas could use a deep run. He may start against the man who beat him at the US Open, Dominic Stricker.

The second seed here is Jan-Lennard Struff. After a spring where he made finals in Madrid on clay and Stuttgart on grass, he has been sidelined with a hip injury.

BNP Paribas Nordic Open (ATP)

Stockholm, Sweden

$850,000; ATP 250

Indoor hard court

Draw is here

As of 2023, it’s officially called the BNP Paribas Nordic Open, but you probably think of it simply as Stockholm, a stalwart event of the fall season since the start of the Open era in 1969.

Rune is the top seed and defending champion, and he’s also defending the crucial No. 8 spot in the race. He leads No. 9 Taylor Fritz by a couple hundred points. In August, when he reached a career-high No. 4, Rune seemed to have a spot locked up. But some injuries and possibly some burnout have brought the 20-year-old down a few notches in recent months.

If Rune is healthy and ready, he’s the solid favorite in a Stockholm draw where Adrian Mannarino is the second seed.

Also here: Chris Eubanks. He says he’s watched the fall indoor season on TV for years; now the veteran American gets his first crack at it. He’ll start against Pavel Kotov.

Jiangxi Open (WTA)

Nanchang, China

$259,303; WTA 250

Hard court

Draw is here

Beatriz Haddad Maia, Magda Linette, and Marie Bouzkova are the top three seeds at the 250 in Nanchang. They’re joined by last week’s Hong Kong winner, Leylah Fernandez.

Transylvania Open (WTA)

Cluj-Napoca, Romania

$259,303; WTA 250

Indoor hard court

Draw is here

A spooky tournament name for a spooky season. Romania’s Sorana Cirstea is the top seed. The 33-year-old is still going strong, but she hasn’t won a title since 2021. Can she make it happen at home? Young Alycia Parks of the U.S. is the No. 2 seed.

Jasmin Open Monastir (WTA)

Monastir, Tunisia

$259,303; WTA 250

Hard court

Draw is here

Tunisia’s most famous player, Ons Jabeur, won’t be here. She has Cancun to consider. Instead, Jasmine Paolini will headline a tournament that sounds as if it’s named for her. Elise Mertens and Martina Trevisan follow as the No. 2 and 3 seeds.