Main draw preview ATP 500 Astana Open
Greg Gilber
When Karen Khachanov saw the draw for the Astana Open, an ATP 500, on Saturday he had to laugh.
«Yeah,» he said, «to be honest with you, it’s really like a Grand Slam. It’s really packed. It’s incredible how strong the tournament is this year in Astana.»
The eight seeded players, believe it or not, can be found among the first 13 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Five in the loaded field – Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz – have collected a total of 27 Grand Slam singles titles.
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«That’s pretty amazing in one tournament,» said Felix Auger-Aliassime, who for the record was also laughing. Has the world’s No. 13-ranked player ever seen a 500 tournament with this kind of star power? «No,» he said, «not personally. This is pretty crazy. I mean, I was almost unseeded.»
A brief accounting:
He’s not kidding. Auger-Aliassime’s first-round opponent, Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, is ranked No. 21.
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The main draw ceremony, which unfolded Saturday afternoon at the National Tennis Center, was missing two of the pivotal participants; Djokovic and Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, were both playing in the semifinals of the Tel Aviv Watergen Open, with a chance to meet in the final.
There are three players from Kazakhstans, enjoying a home-field advantage, featured in the main draw: World No. 41 Alexander Bublik, veteran Mikhail Kukushkin and 21-year-old Beibit Zhukayev. And there’s the possibility of one more Kazakhstan player in the field of 32. Aleksandr Nedovyesov came back to upset No. 2 seed Daniel Elahi Galan of Colombia 5-7, 7-6 (0), 6-2. On Sunday, he’ll play No. 5 seed Zhang Zhizhen, a three-set winner over Cem Ilkel, for a spot in the main draw.
There’s a strong doubles field as well. Germany’s Tim Puetz and Michael Venuis of New Zealand are the top seeds, with Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic of Croatia as the No. 2-seeded team. Other teams to watch include No. 3 seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos of Spain and the unseeded Italian pair of Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini.
If the singles seeds hold, here’s what the four quarterfinal matches would look like:
No. 1Alcaraz-No.5 Rublev, No. 3 Tsitsipas-No. 7 Hurkacz, No. 4 Djokovic-No. 6 Sinner, No. 2 Medvedev-No. 8 Auger-Aliassime.
«Let’s see how the tournament goes,» Auger-Aliassime said. «There’s always opportunity during the week. Draws that open up. And then, if you want to win, you have to beat the best. «Whoever wins the title, it’s going to be well-deserved.»
When Karen Khachanov saw the draw for the Astana Open, an ATP 500, on Saturday he had to laugh.
«Yeah,» he said, «to be honest with you, it’s really like a Grand Slam. It’s really packed. It’s incredible how strong the tournament is this year in Astana.»
The eight seeded players, believe it or not, can be found among the first 13 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Five in the loaded field – Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz – have collected a total of 27 Grand Slam singles titles.
«That’s pretty amazing in one tournament,» said Felix Auger-Aliassime, who for the record was also laughing. Has the world’s No. 13-ranked player ever seen a 500 tournament with this kind of star power? «No,» he said, «not personally. This is pretty crazy. I mean, I was almost unseeded.»
A brief accounting:
- Djokovic, winner of 21 major titles and playing on a wild-card, is only the fourth seed.
- Medvedev, who was ranked No. 1 for three weeks earlier this year, is the second seed.
- Alcaraz, the 19-year-old Spanish phenomenon, is the freshly minted World No. 1 and top seed coming off his US Open triumph.
- The other seeds are Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 3), Andrey Rublev (No. 5), Jannik Sinner (No. 6), Hubert Hurkacz (No. 7) and Auger-Aliassime (No. 8).
He’s not kidding. Auger-Aliassime’s first-round opponent, Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, is ranked No. 21.
The main draw ceremony, which unfolded Saturday afternoon at the National Tennis Center, was missing two of the pivotal participants; Djokovic and Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, were both playing in the semifinals of the Tel Aviv Watergen Open, with a chance to meet in the final.
There are three players from Kazakhstans, enjoying a home-field advantage, featured in the main draw: World No. 41 Alexander Bublik, veteran Mikhail Kukushkin and 21-year-old Beibit Zhukayev. And there’s the possibility of one more Kazakhstan player in the field of 32. Aleksandr Nedovyesov came back to upset No. 2 seed Daniel Elahi Galan of Colombia 5-7, 7-6 (0), 6-2. On Sunday, he’ll play No. 5 seed Zhang Zhizhen, a three-set winner over Cem Ilkel, for a spot in the main draw.
There’s a strong doubles field as well. Germany’s Tim Puetz and Michael Venuis of New Zealand are the top seeds, with Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic of Croatia as the No. 2-seeded team. Other teams to watch include No. 3 seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos of Spain and the unseeded Italian pair of Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini.
If the singles seeds hold, here’s what the four quarterfinal matches would look like:
No. 1Alcaraz-No.5 Rublev, No. 3 Tsitsipas-No. 7 Hurkacz, No. 4 Djokovic-No. 6 Sinner, No. 2 Medvedev-No. 8 Auger-Aliassime.
«Let’s see how the tournament goes,» Auger-Aliassime said. «There’s always opportunity during the week. Draws that open up. And then, if you want to win, you have to beat the best. «Whoever wins the title, it’s going to be well-deserved.»
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