US Open Champ Wawrinka in Russia, French in Metz; ATP Previews

The St. Petersburg Open in Russia welcomes US Open champion Stan Wawrinka and three of the Top 10, while the Moselle Open in France features Dominic Thiem and a strong French contingent this week on the ATP World Tour:
ADHEREL
ST. PETERSBURG OPEN
St. Petersburg, Russia; Surface: hard

Seeds: Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic, Tomas Berdych, Roberto Bautista Agut, Alexander Zverev, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Viktor Troicki, Joao Sousa

Floaters: Lukas Rosol, Fernando “Hot Sauce” Verdasco

Notes: First appearance for Stan since raising the US Open title…The Top 4 seeds receive opening-round byes…(1) Wawrinka after a bye could start against the upset specialist Rosol…(7) Troicki looking at Hot Sauce second round…Fairly cushy draw for defending champ (2) Raonic to the semis, with the young upstart (5) Zverev looming in the quarters…Three wildcards went to Russians Alexander Bublik, Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev…Pulling from the event were Marcos Baghdatis, Pablo Carreno Busta, former champ Ernests Gulbis and Jiri Vesely…Raonic beat Sousa in last year’s final…Raonic (2015), Kukushkin (2010) and Youzhny (2004) are former champs in the field.

MOSELLE OPEN
Metz, France; Surface: hard

Seeds: Dominic Thiem, David Goffin, Lucas Pouille, Gilles Simon, Martin Klizan, Gilles Muller, Benoit Paire, Nicolas Mahut

Floaters: none

Notes: One Top 10er in the field in Thiem…Four of the seven seeds from the home country…The Top 4 seeds receive opening-round byes…Wildcards awarded to France’s Julien Benneteau and Quentin Halys, and Spanish veteran and long-ago champ Tommy Robredo…(5) Klizan starts against (WC) Benneteau, and (8) Mahut against (WC) Halys…Veterans Nicolas Almagro and Tommy Robredo line-up early to meet seeds, but what have they done for anyone lately?…Withdrawing from the tournament were Carlos Berlocq, Marcel Granollers, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Guido Pella and defending champ Jo-Wilfried Tsonga…Tsonga ruined the homecountry hopes by beating Simon in last year’s final…Former champs in the field are Goffin (2014), Simon (2013,’10), and Robredo (2007).