The North American hard-court swing continues this week at the Winston-Salem Open, where Borna Coric is the top seed at the ATP 250 event.
After consecutive ATP Masters 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati, the Tour moves to North Carolina ahead of the US Open. ATPTour.com looks at five storylines to watch over the coming week.
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1) Coric Top Seed: Twelve months ago, Coric captured the biggest trophy of his career during the North American hard-court swing when he soared to his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati. This year, the Croatian is still searching for his best form on hard, having suffered a first-round defeat in Toronto and a second-round exit in Cincinnati. Making his third appearance in Winston-Salem, the top seed will be eager for a deep run to build confidence ahead of the US Open.
2) Griekspoor Targets Third Title Of Year: Second seed Tallon Griekspoor has enjoyed a career-best season. The Dutchman, who will compete in North Carolina at a career-high No. 25 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, has won tour-level titles in Pune and ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Having advanced to the final in Washington earlier this month, the 27-year-old will be eager to put aside disappointing first-round exits in Toronto and Cincinnati and get back to winning ways in Winston-Salem.
3) Next Gen ATP Finals Alumni Compete: Several former Next Gen ATP Finals competitors will be in action in Winston-Salem. Last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals champion Brandon Nakashima will aim to snap a three-match losing streak when he faces Jason Kubler in the first round, while 2021 finalist Sebastian Korda is the third seed in North Carolina. On hard courts, the American Korda reached the final in Adelaide and the last eight at the Australian Open earlier this season.
Jiri Lehecka, who lost to Nakashima in Milan last November, is 28-8 on the season. The Czech fell in the opening round in Winston Salem in 2022 and is seeded sixth at this year’s event. British lefty Jack Draper makes his return to Tour after two months out with a shoulder injury. The 21-year-old, who reached the semi-finals in Milan in 2022, starts against Nuno Borges.
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4) Thiem In Action: Dominic Thiem reached his first tour-level final since 2020 earlier this month, when he advanced to the title match on clay in Kitzbühel. The Austrian earned three three-set victories en route to the final and will hope to transfer his form onto hard in Winston-Salem, where he reached the second round last year. It will be the first time since March that the World No. 3 has competed on the surface.
5) Can Fils, Van Assche & Michelsen Boost Qualification Hopes? As the third quarter of the season continues, a set of #NextGenATP hopefuls will look to boost their Next Gen ATP Finals chances with deep runs. Frenchman Arthur Fils, who is fourth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race, came through qualifying in Cincinnati last week.
Countryman Luca Van Assche, currently sixth, is set to compete in his fourth tour-level hard-court event of the season. The 19-year-old reached the quarter-final on clay in Hamburg in July. American Alex Michelsen is eighth in the Live Race after he rose into qualification contention following a final run in Newport. The 18-year-old won an ATP Challenger Tour crown on hard in Chicago last month. All three are making their debuts in Winston-Salem.
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