Ricky’s picks for this week’s ATP tournaments in Adelaide and Auckland

The Australian Open is only a week away, however there are two extra ATP tournaments on the schedule earlier than we are able to flip our full consideration to Melbourne. Exhausting-court 250 occasions are happening in Adelaide and Auckland, the place Tommy Paul, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Ben Shelton, Gael Monfils. and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard are amongst these in motion.

Listed here are my picks for the 2 tournaments.

Adelaide Worldwide

The place: Adelaide, Australia  Prize cash: $766,290 High seed: Tommy Paul  Defending champion: Jiri Lehecka 

No gamers from the host nation are seeded on the penultimate match of the Australian summer time, however there are 5 Aussies within the draw–together with a quartet within the backside half. Amongst them are Thanasi Kokkinakis, who completed runner-up in Adelaide in 2022 and can be a two-time semifinalist on this metropolis. He’ll kick off his marketing campaign in opposition to Yoshihito Nishioka earlier than probably operating into Sebastian Korda within the final eight and both Jiri Lehecka or Alexander Bublik within the semifinals. 

Paul, the No. 1 seed, is in a tougher prime half of the bracket–which can be house to Auger-Aliassime, Brandon Nakashima, Denis Shapovalov, and Aussie Aleksandar Vukic. Initially scheduled to face his fellow Canadian in spherical one, Auger-Aliassime now has a bye the place Tomas Machac had been within the draw (Machac withdrew on Sunday). Shapovalov is now matched up with Zhizhen Zhang and will face Auger-Aliassime within the quarters.

Quarterfinal picks: Tommy Paul over Brandon Nakashima, Felix Auger-Aliassime over Denis Shapovalov, Jiri Lehecka over Christopher O’Connell, and Roberto Bautist Agut over Thanasi Kokkinakis 

Semifinals: Paul over Auger-Aliassime and Bautista Agut over Lehecka 

Last: Paul over Bautista Agut 

ASB Traditional

The place: Auckland, New Zealand   Prize cash: $766,290 High seed: Ben Shelton  Defending champion: Alejandro Tabilo 

Shelton would be the No. 1 seed in Auckland, however he finds himself with a tricky bracket. The massive-serving American’s opening match might come in opposition to fellow rising star Jakub Mensik previous to a possible date with Brisbane semifinalist Reilly Opelka. Francisco Cerundolo and Flavio Cobolli are additionally within the prime half of the draw.

Mpetshi Perricard and Monfils headlined the underside half, the place Alejandro Tabilo and Sebastian Baez are the seeded gamers with byes. Tabilo is the defending champion, however neither he nor Baez will strike concern into any opponent. Mpetshi Perricard needs to be thought-about the favourite to succeed in the ultimate, though unseeded floaters Gabriel Diallo and Lorenzo Sonego are additionally ones to observe.

Quarterfinal picks: Ben Shelton over Nuno Borges, Flavio Cobolli over Lucas Pouille, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard over Cameron Norrie, and Gabriel Diallo over Alejandro Tabilo 

Semifinals: Cobolli over Shelton and Diallo over Mpetshi Perricard 

Last: Cobolli over Diallo 

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and likewise maintains his personal tennis web site, The Grandstand. You possibly can observe him on Twitter at @Dimonator.