Predictor: Jack Draper, Alex Michelsen and Nuno Borges could be strong options in Winston Salem | ATP Tour

Winston-Salem

Predictor: Draper, Michelsen and Borges could be good options in Winston Salem

Choose your options for Winston-Salem

August 17, 2024

After a string of ATP Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati, the ATP Tour moves to Winston-Salem next week for an ATP 250 tournament.

A number of stars will be looking to secure key PIF ATP Rankings points, including reigning champion Sebastian Baez, second seed Jack Draper and wildcard third seed Francisco Cerúndolo.

Choose Your Players!

Jack Draper – defends 20 points
The Briton is having the best season of his career, winning his first ATP Tour title in Stuttgart. If the left-hander wins another trophy in Winston-Salem, he will add an interesting amount of net points considering that he would only replace 20 points in his total tally.

Draper is in good form after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in Cincinnati and has been showing his authority on hard courts for some time. His big serve and aggressive play have given many players problems. This week he starts as the second seed in Winston-Salem, where his brother Ben competed for a season in college tennis.

Alex Michelsen – replaces 25 points
The Cincinnati draw shows that the #NextGenATP American lost in the second round of the tournament. However, Michelsen put up a tough match against Jannik Sinner after breaking through from qualifying, demonstrating his good form of play.

The two-time Newport finalist continues his climb in the PIF ATP Rankings and has a new chance to add to his tally in Winston-Salem, where he is aiming for his first title. At just 19 years old, he arrives with the momentum of his quarter-final run in Washington, where he forced runner-up Flavio Cobolli to take a tie-break in the final set.

Nuno Borges – replaces 20 points
The Portuguese won his first ATP Tour title this year on the clay of Bastad. However, he also feels at home on hard courts. Present in the fourth round of the Australian Open this season, Borges played college tennis – on hard courts – at Mississippi State University.

Borges is seeded eighth in Winston-Salem and will face either James Duckworth or Thiago Seyboth Wild in his opener.

Bonus Ball – Alex Michelsen
Michelsen is seeded 11th and has never won an ATP Tour title. Why not consider him a great asset? The American has shown his ability on the fastest surfaces, where he is able to maximise his serve and use a complete game to decipher his opponents’ service turns.

With a huge margin for net points in Winston-Salem, doubling that figure could make for a big week for your PIF ATP Rankings Predictor team.