Zverev, Shelton headline Stuttgart, De Minaur leads 's-Hertogenbosch

The grass swing commences on the ATP Tour this week, with events at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart and the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

Alexander Zverev is the top seed on home soil at the ATP 250 in Stuttgart, while Alex de Minaur leads the field at the ATP 250 event in the Netherlands. ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch ahead of this week’s tournaments.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN STUTTGART
1) Top Seed Zverev: Fresh from his run to the final at Roland Garros, Zverev makes his return to grass in front of his home fans in Germany. The 27-year-old, who is competing at the tournament for the first time since 2019, is 34-10 on the season.

2) Shelton & Tiafoe in Action: Ben Shelton will make his debut at the ATP 250, having gone 2-3 on grass last season. The 21-year-old American is the second seed and arrives off the back of a third-round run at Roland Garros. Frances Tiafoe has endured a modest season by his standards, holding a 12-12 record. The American lifted the trophy in Stuttgart last year and will hope a return to the event will help him rediscover his best form.

3) Home Favourites: There are five Germans in the draw, including top seed Zverev. Seventh seed Jan-Lennard Struff reached the title match last year in Stuttgart, where he held championship point. Struff begins against Italian Flavio Cobolli. Yannick Hanfmann takes on countryman Henri Squire, who has received a wild card, with the winner potentially playing former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Andy Murray. Murray, who has won seven grass-court titles, reached the final in Stuttgart in 2022. Dominik Koepfer takes on Zhang Zhizhen.

4) Seeded Threats: Third seed Alexander Bublik and sixth seed Jack Draper have produced impressive results on grass in the past. Bublik won a title on grass in Halle last season and then reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. British lefty Draper missed the grass swing last year due to injury but advanced to the semi-finals in Eastbourne in 2022. Fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti, who pushed Novak Djokovic to five sets in Paris last week, opens against a qualifier.

5) Germans Krawietz/Puetz Top Seeds in Doubles: Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz are the top seeds in the doubles draw. They will face competition from second seeds Neal Skupski and Michael Venus and third seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Jean-Julien Rojer. Ariel Behar and Adam Pavlasek are the fourth seeds.

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FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN S’HERTOGENBOSCH
1) De Minuar Leads the Field: The Australian arrives at the ATP 250 in the Netherlands in a confident mood after reaching his second major quarter-final at Roland Garros. The 25-year-old, currently seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, is a two-time quarter-finalist in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

2) Former Dutch Champs Van Rijthoven & Griekspoor: Dutchman Tim van Rijthoven enjoyed the biggest moment of his career in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2022, when he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the championship match to win his first ATP Tour trophy. The 27-year-old has been injured so far this season but will hope to make a fast start at the ATP 250, where he has received a wild card.

The sixth seed Tallon Griekspoor soared to the crown on home soil last year, beating Jordan Thompson in three sets in the final. He begins against Miomir Kecmanovic this week.

3) Paul & Humbert Compete: Second seed Tommy Paul reached the final on grass in Eastbourne last year but has struggled to find his best level in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, falling in the first round in his two prior appearances. The American, who is 21-9 on the season, has looked comfortable on the surface in the past, also reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2022. Ugo Humbert captured his first ATP 500 crown on grass in Halle in 2021. The third seed is chasing his third ATP Tour title of the season this week.

4) #NextGenATP Stars in Action: Frenchman Arthur Fils and Czech Jakub Mensik both compete in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Fils, 19, will be seeking his first tour-level win on the surface, while Mensik has never played an ATP Tour match on grass. Fils starts against countryman Arthur Cazaux, while 18-year-old Mensik faces a qualifier. Fils is first in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, with Mensik second.

5) Koolhof/Mektic Headline Doubles Draw: Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic are the top seeds in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Koolhof is a two-time champion at the event, winning in 2022 and 2023 with Neal Skupski. Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow are the second seeds. Singles stars Sebastian Korda and Paul team.

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