Quality shines through in Almaty Open qualifying draw

A combination of rising stars and veterans who have shone on the big stage comprise the qualifying draw at the Almaty Open in Kazakhstan’s largest city.

Among the younger guard are Bu Yunchaokete, Alibek Kachmazov and Kazakhstan’s own Amir Omarkhanov.

The 22-year-old Bu cracked the Top 100 last month in a spell where he sizzled at home in China.

He made back-to-back semifinals in Hangzhou and Beijing, helping to boost his ranking to a career high 69.

The top seed in qualifying, Bu faces a 37-year-old former Top 50 player in Illya Marchenko on Sunday.

And if Bu advances, he might meet another of the tour’s experienced stars in Dan Evans.

A knee injury has hindered the 34-year-old’s progress in 2024 but Evans still managed to win the longest match in US Open history in August when he got the better of Karen Khachanov — seeded in the main draw in Almaty — in five-and-a-half hours.

Evans has been as high as No. 21 and beat Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo three years ago.

Evans’ first tussle is against Omarkhanov, a 16-year-old wildcard ranked inside the Top 20 in juniors.

Omarkhanov reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open juniors in January.

The second seed in qualifying, home favourite Mikhail Kukushkin, plays Khumoyun Sultanov.

Kukushkin, 36, returned to the Top 100 in late September thanks to a quarterfinal showing in Hangzhou — where he was beaten by Bu.

Kachmazov, 22, collected his maiden ATP victory last year in Astana. His next ATP wins came in a bunch, qualifying and then

making the semifinals in Chengdu last month to crack the Top 200.

Maxime Cressy — the serve and volleyer who once hit No. 31 in the rankings — awaits Kachmazov.

Aslan Karatsev sits in the bottom half of the draw.

The injury-hit former Australian Open semifinalist comes up against tour finalist Filip Misolic in the first round.