Week in Preview: No. 1s Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek lead top-tier draws in Astana and Ostrava

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Traditionally, October was the month when the tours departed for China. That changed with the pandemic in 2020, and Peng Shuai’s disappearance in 2021. While the players may miss the eye-popping prize money that was offered in places like Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan, and Shenzhen, they haven’t stopped hitting the road and finding places to compete. This week seems especially strong for early October. Both No. 1s, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, are in action, as are Daniil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios, Ons Jabeur, Casper Ruud, and Emma Raducanu, among other Top 10 names. Let the race to the season-ending championships begin.

Astana Open (ATP)

• Astana, Kazakhstan
• $2,054,825; ATP 500
• Indoor hard court
• Draw is here

This is not your father’s, or even your brother’s, Astana Open. I’m not sure any tournament has enjoyed such a sudden and extreme upgrade from one year to the next.

The event was first put together on the fly during those dark and empty days of the pandemic in 2020; John Millman won the title that year, and Soon-woo Kwon won it in 2021. Now, as a newly-minted 500, with more than $2 million in (official) prize money, Astana has a field that might make the tournament director at a Grand Slam envious. The fact that Novak Djokovic is the fourth seed should be all you need to know about its quality.

Djokovic is fourth, because Alcaraz, Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas are ahead of him. Just behind him in the seedings are Andrey Rublev, Hubert Hurkacz, Felix Auger Aliassime, and Marin Cilic. If form holds, we’ll see Djokovic vs. Medvedev and Alcaraz vs. Tsitsipas in the semis. Could we get an Alcaraz-Djokovic final? Their explosive three-setter in Madrid this spring may have been the match of the year so far.

First-round matches to watch:

• Alcaraz vs. his buddy from the juniors, Holger Rune
• Djokovic vs. Cristian Garin

Agel Open (WTA)

• Ostrava, Czech Republic
• $800,000; WTA 500
• Indoor hard court
• Draw is here

Who needs a Masters 1000 to bring out the big names? While the ATP’s stars have gathered at the 500 in Astana, the WTA’s have traveled to the 500 in Ostrava.

That starts with Swiatek and continues with Paula Badosa, Anett Kontaveit, Maria Sakkari, Daria Kasatkina, Belinda Bencic, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Emma Raducanu, Elena Rybakina, Petra Kvitova, Madison Keys, Karolina Pliskova, and Barbora Krejcikova.

This is a who’s who of the WTA Top 20. But aside from Swiatek it’s also a roll call of disappointments from this season. Each of these players has had her moments this season, but none have sustained them for long. Last year in Ostrava, Kontaveit began a run of success that would eventually take her to No. 2 in the world. Can anyone make a similar move this time? Krejcikova, after vanishing for nine months, just won her first title of 2022, in Tallinn.

First-round matches to watch:

• Keys vs Rybakina
• Kasatkina vs. Raducanu
• Krejcikova vs. Shelby Rogers
• Haddad Maia va. Karolina Muchova

Rakuten Japan Open (ATP)

• Tokyo
• $2,108,110; ATP 500
• Hard court
• Draw is here

Tokyo has the same number of ranking points, and a bigger (official) purse than Astana. If it’s field isn’t quite as top-shelf, ranking-wise, the tournament does have its share of crowd-pleasers.

Frances Tiafoe, Nick Kyrgios, Alex De Minaur, Denis Shapovalov, and Taylor Fritz are among those who follow Casper Ruud in the seedings. Can Tiafoe and/or Kyrgios sustain their semi-breakout seasons into the fall, when there isn’t quite as much at stake, and the lights aren’t quite as bright as they are in London and New York? We’ll get an idea this week.

Jasmin Open (WTA)

• Monastir, Tunisia
• $251,750; WTA 250
• Hard court
• Draw is here

Ons Jabeur has made her fellow Tunisians wake up and tune into tennis from various locations around the world, so why not bring a tournament home to them? Jabeur, naturally, is the top seed at the Jasmin Open, followed by Veronika Kudermetova, Alizé Cornet, and Petra Martic.