ATP Tour

Scouting Report: Sinner, Alcaraz return to grass in Halle & Queen's Club

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will play on grass for the first time this season at ATP 500 events in Halle and London, respectively.

World No. 1 Sinner leads a packed field at the Terra Wortmann Open in Germany, where Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and Joao Fonseca also compete. At the HSBC Championships in London, Alcaraz headlines the draw alongside British No. 1 Jack Draper and Top 10 stars Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN HALLE
1) Defending champ Sinner: The Italian will hope to bounce back from his agonising Roland Garros final defeat to Alcaraz when he takes to court in Halle. The 23-year-old is the defending champion at the ATP 500 event, having downed Hubert Hurkacz in the final 12 months ago. Sinner will begin against a qualifier.

2) Home hope Zverev: Zverev arrives in Halle off the back of a final run in Stuttgart. The 28-year-old is a two-time finalist in Halle but has not reached the title match at the grass-court event since 2017. The No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, who is seeking his second title of the season, is joined by countrymen Daniel Altmaier, Yannick Hanfmann and Jan-Lennard Struff.

3) Fonseca returns to Halle: #NextGenATP Brazilian Fonseca is set to compete in Halle once again after accepting a wild card. The 18-year-old’s only previous tour-level match on grass came at the event last year when he lost to James Duckworth. Fonseca earned his maiden Top 10 win earlier this season against Andrey Rublev, lifted his first ATP Tour trophy in Buenos Aires and then reached the third round at Roland Garros.

4) Tsitsipas, Medvedev seeking form: Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev will look to improve their recent fortunes in Halle. Tsitsipas suffered a second-round exit at Roland Garros and holds an 18-11 record on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, while Medvedev is 19-12. Medvedev’s best result in Halle came in 2022 when he reached the final.

5) Sinner, Fonseca, Zverev in doubles action: A host of singles stars will compete in the doubles draw. Sinner teams with Lorenzo Sonego, Fonseca joins forces with Petros Tsitsipas and Zverev plays with Marcelo Melo. The 2024 Nitto ATP Finals champions Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz are the top seeds.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN LONDON
1) Alcaraz headlines show: The 2023 champion Alcaraz will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his opening match in London and first since he won his fifth major at Roland Garros. The 22-year-old is 24-3 on grass in his career according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, highlighted by Wimbledon titles in 2023 and 2024.

2) Draper leads British hopes: Draper has enjoyed a rapid rise in the past year. The 23-year-old, who won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells in March, is currently at a career-high No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Draper has fond memories at The Queen’s Club, having beaten Alcaraz last year and Sinner on debut in 2021. He won a grass-court title in Stuttgart last season.

3) Fritz, Rune, De Minaur compete: Fritz, Rune and De Minaur all return to London chasing a maiden title at the ATP 500. Fritz’s best result came last year when he reached the quarter-finals, while Rune advanced to the last four in 2023. De Minaur enjoyed a run to the title match in 2023. The Stuttgart champion Fritz opens against a qualifier, Rune plays Matteo Arnaldi and De Minaur takes on Jiri Lehecka.

4) Shelton, Mensik threats: Ben Shelton and Jakub Mensik arrive in London in good spirits. Shelton will be competing as a Top 10 player for the first time following his semi-final showing in Stuttgart, with Mensik at a career-high No. 17. Shelton is making his third appearance in West London, while Mensik is set for his debut.

5) Arevalo/Pavic top seeds in doubles: Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic are the top seeds in the doubles draw, with Wimbledon champions Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten seeded second. Singles stars Fritz, Rune, De Minaur, Shelton and Mensik are also in doubles action.