Tuesday's tennis acca: Champions to lose in the first round

The ATP Tour is out in force this week with twin 500-level events in Basel and Vienna.

Ben Shelton won his maiden ATP Tour title last week but has been handed a tough first-round draw in Vienna.

Here we make picks for a handful of ATP Tour matches on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.

 

ATP Basel

ATP Basel: Alex De Minaur vs Diego Schwartzman | Pick: De Minaur

ATP Basel: Alexander Bublik vs Casper Ruud | Pick: Ruud

ATP Basel: Dusan Lajovic vs Hubert Hurkacz | Pick: Hurkacz

ATP Basel: Holger Rune vs Miomir Kecmanovic | Pick: Rune

ATP Vienna: Ben Shelton vs Jannik Sinner | Pick: Sinner

ATP Vienna: Daniil Medvedev vs Arthur Fils | Pick: Medvedev

ATP Vienna: Frances Tiafoe vs Dan Evans | Pick: Tiafoe

ATP Vienna: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dominic Thiem | Pick: Thiem

 

ATP Basel: Alex De Minaur vs Diego Schwartzman

Alex De Minaur will be out to make it three from three in his third career meeting with Argentina's Diego Schwartzman.

De Minaur is 13th in the Race to Turin but can keep himself in the frame to make the finals with a run to the title in Basel.

Schwartzman will be delighted not to be dealing with a hefty serving player, but facing the energetic Aussie presents its own challenges.

De Minaur secured a straight-sets win over the Argentine last week, and this should be a repeat.

 

ATP Basel: Alexander Bublik vs Casper Ruud

Casper Ruud is another Turin hopeful who needs a big week in Basel to secure another Finals appearance.

Ruud has been handed a very tough opening-round assignment against powerful Alexander Bublik.

Bublik hasn't beaten Ruud in five ATP Tour meetings between the players but has claimed a win over him in Davis Cup singles and won the European Open last week.

Bublik pushed Ruud to three sets in their last meeting, which came on the Roman clay.

 

ATP Basel: Dusan Lajovic vs Hubert Hurkacz

Hubert Hurkacz's second Masters title also has him in contention for the Tour finals, and he starts his Basel campaign against a player he has a good record against.

Hurkacz has won all three of the ATP Tour meetings between the players, although they haven't clashed since May 2022.

Hurkacz was stunned in the first round of the Tokyo Open after taking the Shanghai title and will need to rebound this week to keep his Turin hopes alive.

Lajovic also lost in the first round last week as he went down to Lorenzo Sonego in Stockholm.

 

ATP Basel: Holger Rune vs Miomir Kecmanovic

Holger Rune is in action to defend his position in the top eight of the Race to Turin, with a number of players eyeing his spot.

His start will be a tough one against a player who beat him in their only previous clash.

That defeat came just last week as Kecmanovic scuppered Rune's bid to defend his Nordic Open title.

Rune skipped the Next Gen finals last season, and should he miss out on the Tour Finals, he is likely to give them a miss again despite still being eligible.

 

ATP Vienna: Ben Shelton vs Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner has booked his place in Turin for his first Tour Finals appearance, but he starts off in Vienna against a player hoping for an unlikely tilt.

Ben Shelton won his maiden tour title in Tokyo last week and has made quite the trip to get to the Austrian capital on time.

That travel schedule and the good form of Sinner paint a picture of this tournament being a bridge too far, even for the American youngster.

Shelton beat Sinner in their maiden meeting in Shanghai, and the Italian will be ready to claim his revenge.

 

ATP Vienna: Daniil Medvedev vs Arthur Fils

Daniil Medvedev takes on the losing finalist from Antwerp in young Frenchman Arthur Fils.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Medvedev and Fils.

Medvedev has had a little time off to spend with his family since his early Shanghai exit and should be refreshed and ready to build momentum for Turin.

The world No 3 has already qualified for the season closing event, while Fils has secured a spot in Jeddah for the Next Gen finals.

 

ATP Vienna: Frances Tiafoe vs Dan Evans

Frances Tiafoe is also chasing a Turin place and can keep his hopes alive with a title run in Vienna.

Tiafoe will have his hands full escaping the first round, though, when he faces Dan Evans.

This will be the ninth installment of the storied rivalry between these players, with each having one four of their previous meetings.

Evans beat Tiafoe in his home event in Washington DC, and the American will want to get a measure of retribution.

 

ATP Vienna: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dominic Thiem

Stefanos Tsistipas looks ripe for an upset at the hands of the experienced Dominic Thiem.

These men have met ten times and split those evenly, although Tsitsipas has won both of his matches against Thiem this year.

However, Thiem took Tsitsipas to five sets at Wimbledon and has been improving his level week by week.

Tsitsipas has struggled to find his best game in recent weeks, and this is a very tough match to get first up.