ATP Tour

What to watch this week: Rublev, Darderi in Estoril; Bublik in Kitzbühel

The 2026 ATP Tour season continues this week with the Millennium Estoril Open in Portugal and the Generali Open in Austria.

Andrey Rublev and Luciano Darderi lead the field in Estoril while Alexander Bublik and Valentin Vacherot are the top two seeds in Kitzbühel, respectively. ATPTour.com looks at the top storylines at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ESTORIL:
1) Top seeds Rublev, Darderi arrive after final clash: After meeting in Sunday’s Bastad final, Rublev and Darderi could be on pace to meet in the same stage in Estoril, where they are the top two seeds, respectively.

2) Merida rides momentum after first ATP Tour title: Spaniard Daniel Merida lifted his maiden ATP Tour trophy Saturday in Umag, where he was competing in just his seventh tour-level event. The 21-year-old will aim to build upon his breakthrough in Estoril. Merida enters the ATP 250 event with a 12-6 tour-level season record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

3) Stan continues farewell season: This week marks the final clay-court tournaments of the ATP Tour season, meaning 2015 Roland Garros champion and former No. 3 Stan Wawrinka will make his last appearance on the surface. Wawrinka, 41, is set to retire later this season.

4) Third seed Blockx: Belgian Alexander Blockx has enjoyed success on clay this season, highlighted by his semi-final run at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid and third-round appearances in Monte-Carlo and Rome. Last year's runner-up at the Next Gen ATP Finals, Blockx first cracked the Top 100 on 12 January and is now inside the Top 40 and rising.

5) Tabilo seeks first clay crown: Having already earned tour-level titles on hard courts and grass, Alejandro Tabilo will aim to add to that haul with a triumph on clay, a surface on which he has reached three finals, including this year at the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro. The Chilean lefty is seeded third in Portugal.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN KITZBÜHEL:
1) Defending champion Bublik: This time last year, Bublik went on one of the best runs of his career when he won back-to-back titles in Gstaad and Kitzbühel. The Kazakhstani won in Kitzbühel without dropping a set. The 29-year-old is aiming for his 10th ATP Tour trophy and second this season (Hong Kong).

2) Rinderknech seeks first tour-level title: The highest-ranked player without an ATP Tour title, Rinderknech will look to change that this week. The No. 28 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is seeded third in Austria. Rinderknech has twice reached the Kitzbühel semi-finals (2021, 2025).

3) Second seed Vacherot & another cousin showdown looming: Valentin Vacherot anchors the bottom half of the draw. The 27-year-old is seeded to meet his cousin Rinderknech in the semi-finals, which would be a rematch of last year’s Rolex Shanghai Masters final, a fairytale clash that Vacherot won.

4) Former champions meet in R1: The past 10 editions of the Generali Open have featured 10 different champions. Now, two of those former titlists will meet in the opening round: 2023 champion Sebastian Baez and 2020 winner Miomir Kecmanovic. Serbia's Kecmanovic leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 3-0.

5) #NextGenATP home hope Schwaerzler: Austria’s own Joel Schwaerzler will look to make a splash on home soil. The 20-year-old is eighth in the PIF ATP Live Next Gen Race and is aiming to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals for the first time. The lefty is seeking his first tour-level main-draw win. Schwaerzler begins his campaign against fourth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry.