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Denis Shapovalov French Open 2020
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Estoril Open 2021 Tournament Preview


The Estoril Open in Portugal is back after a break in 2020. What can you expect during the championship this year?

Alexander Zverev continues his run as a staple of the Munich tennis scene, and will be looking to clinch a second title this year and third Munich title overall, his first two coming back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.

Here, Tennishead previews the ATP 250 event. When is it, who is going for the title, and what matchups could we see over the course of the week?

 

 

Dates

The main draw kicks off on April 26 and runs until May 2. UK fans can enjoy all matches streamed on Amazon Prime Video. Otherwise please refer to our watch guide.

Players

28 players are present in the draw and fighting for the championship in Estoril this year. There are a total of 8 seeds, with the top 4 benefitting from a first round bye. 2019 champion Stefanos Tsitsipas is foregoing this year’s iteration, while 2019 finalist Pablo Cuevas has opted to play the BMW Open instead.

None of the world’s top-10 are represented in the main draw, with Denis Shapovalov being the highest-ranked player (world No. 14) and no. 1 seed.

There is still plenty of pedigree in the line-up though, with a number of former top-10 players, a Grand Slam champion, and 2018 champion Joao Sousa among the ranks.

Second seed Cristian Garin has five career titles, all on clay, including the 2021 Chile Open. Meanwhile, former world No. 3 and sixth seed Marin Cilic has 18 career titles including the 2014 US Open and two titles on clay.

Finally, the fourth seed and former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori has 12 career titles of his open, including two on clay, back-to-back triumphs at the Barcelona Open in 2014 and 2015.

Other tour veterans include Fernando Verdasco, Jeremy Chardy and Richard Gasquet, who won the inaugural Estoril Open back in 2015.

The names of players competing are outlined below, with seedings alongside when appropriate.

 

Estoril Open Player List

 

Where is the event held?

The event has its home at the Clube de Tenis do Estoril in Estoril, Portugal, on outdoor clay courts.

Ranking points breakdown, Singles

Winner – 250 points

Runner-up – 150 points

Semi-finals – 90 points

Quarter-finals – 45 points

Round of 16 – 20 points

Round of 32 – 0 points

Prize money breakdown, Singles

Winner – € 41,145 ($49,773)

Runner-up – € 29,500 ($35,686)

Semi-finals – € 21,000 ($25,404)

Quarter-finals – € 14,000 ($16,936)

Round of 16 – € 9,000 ($10,887)

Round of 32 – € 5,415 ($6,550)

 

 

Can I buy tickets for the tournament?

Under present Covid restrictions, there will be no spectators at the Estoril Open this year

How can I follow the tournament?

You can follow the tournament on the official website, the official Twitter, or the official ATP Tour Twitter.

Possible Matchups

To start, an intriguing match will take place between local hero Joao Sousa and Brit Cameron Norrie in the first round, as the pair will be playing the doubles tournament as a pair having been given a wildcard entry.

In the top half of the draw, Denis Shapovalov could come up against another left-hander in the second round in fellow 21-year-old Courentin Moutet. The leftie trend could continue into the quarter-finals if either of Fernando Verdasco or Albert Ramos-Vinolas reach the last eight also (they face each other in the first round).

Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic could meet on-court for the 16th time in their careers if both men make it to the quarter-final stage. Nishikori leads the head-to-head 9-6 overall and 2-0 on clay, while Cilic won their greatest matchup to win the 2014 US Open final.


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