Scouting Report: Sinner and Alcaraz lead Beijing, Fritz and Shelton head to Tokyo | ATP Tour

Scouting Report

Scouting Report: Sinner and Alcaraz lead in Beijing, Fritz and Shelton head to Tokyo

A detailed summary of this week’s action on the circuit

September 24, 2024

The Asian tour is starting to heat up with the arrival of two excellent tournaments: the eagerly awaited ATP 500 hard court tournaments in Beijing and Tokyo.

After winning his second Grand Slam title at the US Open, Jannik Sinner returns to action on the ATP Tour. The Italian will try to defend his crown at a China Open packed with talent, with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev in the draw.

In Tokyo, former champions Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton are among the challengers to the throne of the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each tournament.

FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN BEIJING
1) Sinner defends the title: Jannik Sinner rose to China Open glory last year, defeating Alcaraz and Medvedev as the sixth seed en route to the trophy. The Italian returns as No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, a two-time Grand Slam champion, and primed to successfully protect the title in Beijing.

2) Will Alcaraz respond strongly? Carlos Alcaraz was defeated in the second round of the US Open by Botic Van de Zandschulp and, after guiding Team Europe to victory at the Laver Cup, the Spaniard returns to China with winning momentum. Carlos is currently in third place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 1,590 points ahead of Medvedev, and is seeking his fourth trophy of the season.

3) Zheng competes at home: Chinese star Zhang Zhizhen returns to China for the first time since 2019, when he fell to champion Dominic Thiem in the second round. The Asian comes into the tournament after completing a strong performance at the Hangzhou Open, where he will contest the final on Tuesday, arousing great expectations among the local fans. Another Chinese figure present at the tournament will be #NextGenATP Shang Juncheng, who will be present on Tuesday in the Chengdu final.

4) Will Medvedev be able to forget his 2023 defeat? Daniil Medvedev lost an epic final to Sinner in Beijing last year, but he will try to change the script if the two cross paths. After his victory over Medvedev in the US Open quarter-finals, Sinner has closed the gap (6-7) in his Lexus ATP Head2Head record.

5) Koolhof/Mektic search plaza in Turin: Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic, who sit ninth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, are within reach of a place at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. However, they are in need of points as they begin their Asian swing in Beijing.

FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN TOKYO
1) A sweet Fritz points to Turin: Taylor Fritz is hoping to maintain the form that propelled him to his first Grand Slam final at the US Open. The American, having the best season of his career, sits fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and has a strong chance of securing his second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. Fritz will open against Frenchman Arthur Fils in Tokyo.

Read Tokyo Preview

2) Shelton returns as reigning champion: Ben Shelton returns to the stage where he lifted his first ATP Tour title a year ago. The tournament marked a great end to the 2023 season for the American, who also reached the semi-finals of the US Open. The American lost in the third round of Flushing Meadows this season to Frances Tiafoe in an epic five-set duel. The eighth seed will face Reilly Opelka in the first round.

3) American talent everywhere: Fritz and Shelton will be joined in the main draw by Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe, the other two American players in the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings. Brandon Nakashima earned a special bye spot due to his strong performance at the Hangzhou Open. Paul is No. 11 in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and is 570 points behind No. 8 Alex de Minaur, who is absent in Tokyo through injury.

4) Invitation for Nishikori: Two-time champion Kei Nishikori has received a wild card to Tokyo for the first time since 2018. The former No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings has been plagued by injuries of late but is still seeking a full recovery with some spectacular tennis. The 34-year-old Japanese reached the quarter-finals at the ATP Challenger Tour tournament in Genoa before bowing out to #NextGenATP Chinese Shang in the first round of the Chengdu Open last week.

5) Hurkacz and Ruud, among the great figures: All eight seeds in the singles draw are in the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings. Other stars to watch include second seed Hubert Hurkacz, third seed Casper Ruud, fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and sixth seed Holger Rune. Ruud sits sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and is attempting to return to the Nitto ATP Finals after missing the tournament a year ago.