All Eyes on Rafael Nadal in Buenos Aires: ATP Previews This Week
ARGENTINA OPEN
Buenos Aires, Argentina; Surface: clay
ADHEREL
Seeds: Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, John Isner, Dominic Thiem, Fabio Fognini, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Pablo Cuevas
Floaters: Juan Monaco, Fernando “Hot Sauce” Verdasco, Nicolas Almagro
Notes: Three Top 10ers in the strong field…The Top 4 seeds receive opening-round byes…Tough starts for (1) Nadal after a bye likely vs. the former champ Monaco who he has lost to before, and (4) Isner after a bye likely vs. Hot Sauce…Wildcards went to Nadal, Italy’s Fabio Fognini and Argentina’s Renzo Olivo…Monaco is playing for the first time this year after a wrist injury in 2015…Seeds Tsonga, Isner and Thiem are making their first appearances in Buenos Aires…Last year Nadal broke Ferrer’s three-year hold on the event, beating Monaco in the final…Pulling from the event were Aljaz Bedene, Andreas “Don’t Be A” Haider-Maurer, and Jack Sock…Spaniards have won the singles title for the last seven years…The title-less Nadal is trying to repeat last year when he won his first title of the year in Buenos Aires…Former champs in the field are Nadal (2015), Ferrer (2014-12), Almagro (2011), and Monaco (2007).
ABN AMRO WORLD TENNIS TOURNAMENT
Rotterdam, Netherlands; Surface: hard
Seeds: Richard Gasquet, Marin Cilic, Gilles Simon, David Goffin, Gael Monfils, Roberto Bautista Agut, Benoit Paire, Viktor Troicki
Floaters: Jeremy Chardy, Marcos Baghdatis, Gilles Muller
Notes: Gasquet the only Top 10er, as Roger Federer was forced to withdrew after knee surgery…(1) Gasquet starts with a tricky all-countryman match-up against Chardy…(2) Cilic starts against Denis Istomin, then likely meets the huge-serving Muller…Also pulling from the event was Nick Kyrgios (arm injury)…Wildcards were awarded to Dutchmen Thiemo de Bakker and Robin Haase, and German Alexander Zverev…Neither of last year’s finalists return, with Stan Wawrinka beating Tomas Berdych in the 2015 finale…No former champs are in the field.
MEMPHIS OPEN
Memphis, Tenn., USA; Surface: hard
Seeds: Kei Nishikori, Steve Johnson, Donald Young, Sam Querrey, Denis Kudla, Sam Groth, John Millman, Damir Dzumhur
Floaters: Tim Smyczek, Austin Krajicek
Notes: Rough seeded drop-off, as the Top 10er Nishikori is followed by the No. 30 Johnson. Can you guess who received the cash?…The Top 4 seeds receive opening-round byes…11 Americans are in the 28-player field…Challenging starts against upstart Americans for (8) Dzumhur vs. Smyczek, and (7) Millman vs. Krajicek…Up-and-coming Americans Taylor Fritz (vs. qualifer), Tommy Paul (vs. Benjamin Becker) and Frances Tiafoe (vs. fellow American Ryan Harrison) received wildcards…Pulling out of the event were heavy hitters Kevin Anderson, former world No. 2 Tommy Haas, and Lu Yen-Hsun…Seeds Millman and Dzumhur are making their first appearances in Memphis…The Bryan brothers are top-seeded in doubles…Nishikori has won the title the last three years, last year beating Anderson in the final…Former champs in the field are Nishikori (2015-13) and Querrey (2010).
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