ATP Tour

What to watch this week: De Minaur, Shelton in Washington; Cerundolo in Los Cabos

The ATP Tour action returns to North American hard courts this week with an ATP 500 event in Washington, DC and an ATP 250 event in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Defending champion Alex de Minaur and home hopes Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz lead the field at the Mubadala DC Open. Francisco Cerundolo, Jiri Lehecka and defending champion Denis Shapovalov headline action at the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo. ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN WASHINGTON

1) Defending champion De Minaur faces early hurdle: Last year's champion De Minaur will open his Washington campaign with a stern test. The top seed is drawn to face recent Gstaad champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has received a wild card into the main draw. The Australian trails 1-12 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having lost to Tsitsipas earlier this year in Miami.

Watch highlights of the 2025 final between De Minaur and Davidovich Fokina:

2) Americans in action: Two-time semi-finalist Shelton, Fritz and Tommy Paul are among the home hopes who will spearhead the American charge in Washington. Hometown hero Frances Tiafoe, Learner Tien and Brandon Nakashima are also among the Americans in action this week.

3) #NextGenATP Jodar vs. Fils R1 set: In an intriguing first-round clash, rising Spaniard Rafael Jodar will take on eighth seed Arthur Fils, who defeated the 19-year-old in the Barcelona semi-finals in April. This year, Jodar has won the Marrakech title and reached the last eight in Madrid, Rome and at Roland Garros, while Fils made the quarter-finals in Indian Wells, last four in Miami and lifted the Barcelona crown.

4) Former champ Nishikori receives wild card: Kei Nishikori, who is competing in his final season on the ATP Tour, has received a main-draw wild card and will play Shang Juncheng in his opener. The former No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings won the Washington title in 2015.

5) Tiafoe/Kyrgios headline fun doubles draw: Tiafoe will join forces with former singles and doubles champion Nick Kyrgios in the doubles draw in Washington. Other teams include Diego Hidalgo and Shelton, top seeds and defending champions Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori and Australian Open champions Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the withdrawal of Jack Draper from the Mubadala DC Open.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN LOS CABOS

1) Lehecka, Cerundolo headline: Both Lehecka and Cerundolo are set to compete in Los Cabos for the first time. Top-seeded Lehecka is aiming to win his first tour-level title of the season, while third-seeded Cerundolo is chasing his third crown of the year and first on hard courts.

2) Darderi arrives on a high: Darderi enjoyed solid form on clay courts in the past two weeks, having reached the final in Bastad and semi-finals in Estoril. The Italian will hope to carry his momentum to the hard courts in Los Cabos, where the five-time ATP Tour champion will compete for the first time.

3) Defending champion Shapovalov returns: Following his retirement from the Wimbledon first round due to a shoulder injury, Shapovalov is set to return to action in Los Cabos, where he is the defending champion. Last year, the Canadian won the title without dropping a set. The 27-year-old is aiming for his fifth ATP Tour trophy and first of the season.

Watch highlights from the 2025 Los Cabos final between Shapovalov and Kovacevic

4) Wild cards Dimitrov, Kouame clash in R1: In a battle of generations, 35-year-old Grigor Dimitrov will play his first-round match against 17-year-old Moise Kouame, who earlier this year reached the Roland Garros third round. Former World No. 3 Dimitrov will compete in Los Cabos for the first time since 2019, while #NextGenATP star Kouame is set for his tournament debut.

5) Khachanov, Norrie seeded players: Fourth seed Karen Khachanov is making his first appearance at the ATP 250 event and aiming to win his first title of the season. Fifth seed Cameron Norrie has fond memories in Los Cabos, having lifted the trophy in 2021.