Tuesday tennis acca: Road to Turin plays out across diverse locations

The European indoor season has crept up on us but the ATP Tour still has business in the East.

There are still ATP Tour Finals places up for grabs and Tokyo will play a role in determining who fills the remaining slots.

Here we take a look at a cross-section of matches and make picks to help build a tennis accumulator.

 

ATP Antwerp: Luca Nardi vs Dominic Thiem | Pick: Thiem

ATP Stockholm: Borna Gojo vs Stan Wawrinka | Pick: Wawrinka

ATP Tokyo: Ben Shelton vs Taro Daniel | Pick: Shelton

ATP Tokyo: Yosuke Watanuki vs Casper Ruud | Pick: Ruud

WTA Cluj-Napoca: Elena-Gabriela Ruse vs Alycia Parks | Pick: Parks

WTA Cluj-Napoca: Sorana Cirstea vs Eva Lys | Pick: Cirstea

WTA Monastir: Jasmine Paolini vs Alize Cornet | Pick: Paolini

WTA Monastir: Nuria Parrizas Diaz vs Magdalena Frech | Pick: Frech

 

ATP Antwerp: Luca Nardi vs Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem's comeback has just hit a wall a little in recent weeks and he has a tricky engagement in Antwerp.

There are 47 rankings places separating these two players who will meet for the first time in their careers.

Nardi is a player with some promise but they ten years that Thiem has over him will be crucial.

Both men turned out at the Bratislava Challenger last week with Nardi reaching the final.

 

ATP Stockholm: Borna Gojo vs Stan Wawrinka

Borna Gojo is one of the mavericks of the ATP Tour but he likely won't get much of a sniff against Stan Wawrinka.

Wawrinka is the oldest player ranked in the top 100 but he has shown that he still has championship quality.

Gojo hasn't featured on the ATP Tour since his fourth round loss to Novak Djokovic at the US Open.

This will be the first meeting between these two players which probably favours Wawrinka who is by far the more experienced man.

 

ATP Tokyo: Ben Shelton vs Taro Daniel

Ben Shelton isn't in the frame for the ATP Finals but will be eager to continue his push up the rankings when he takes on Taro Daniel.

Shelton and Daniel met earlier this season when they split an incredible five-setter at Wimbledon.

Daniel has a lot of experience but will struggle to handle the dynamic game of Shelton who is now up to a new career-high and has broken into the top 20.

Daniel might feel he still has top 50 quality even if his ranking stalled at No 64 a few seasons ago.

 

ATP Tokyo: Yosuke Watanuki vs Casper Ruud

Casper Ruud is one of the players in the hunt for the ATP Tour Finals and will want to pounce after the current No 7 on the Race to Turin standings, Alexander Zverev lost his first round match in Tokyo.

Ruud cannot afford to underestimate Yosuke Watanuki as a home player and would ideally like a run to the title to aid his big push.

This Japan Open meeting will be the first ever between the players who both turned pro in 2015.

Ruud has the game to defeat Watanuki but the Japanese player could trouble the Norwegian if he can put him under pressure.

 

WTA Cluj-Napoca: Elena-Gabriela Ruse vs Alycia Parks

Elena-Gabriela Ruse is the home hope battling against the odds against seed Alycia Parks.

Parks has enjoyed a good season even if she hasn't quite made the most of her first title win.

This is exactly the kind of tournament that Parks would target a deep run in as she seeks to claw her way up the rankings.

Ruse would do well to stay in this match for as long as possible against a gifted athlete.

 

WTA Cluj-Napoca: Sorana Cirstea vs Eva Lys

Sorana Cirstea offers the best chance of a home win in Transylvania and she starts against a fellow WTA Tour grinder.

Cirstea has clearly had the better season of the two players who will meet for the first time.

Cirstea is out to bounce back from a first round defeat in Beijing but her early exit has enabled her to spend more time in Romania.

Lys doesn't have the time on court down the years that Cirstea sports and even with the pressure of a home tournament she should prevail.

 

WTA Monastir: Jasmine Paolini vs Alize Cornet

Jasmine Paolini is growing into being a WTA Tour professional and her best tennis could well be ahead of her.

It is tougher to make that argument for 33-year-old Alize Cornet but she does sport a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head.

Both players were beaten semi-finalists last week and therefore carry some handy form into this tournament in Tunisia.

Paolini has travelled to Monastir from China which is by far the longer journey but she will be determined to level up the rivalry.

 

WTA Monastir: Nuria Parrizas Diaz vs Magdalena Frech

Nuria Parrizas Diaz and Magdalena Frech will face each other for the third time as they head into their clash locked at 1-1 in previous meetings.

Frech lost in her home event to Diaz back in 2021 but got her revenge over her in Birmingham last term.

Diaz was a quarter-finalist last week but will struggle to deal with a player who has played more WTA Tour level matches this season.

Frech has been seeded seventh, but the 32-player Jasmin Open draw offers no first round byes.