The Basel tournament kicks off today: two-time champion Auger-Aliassime is a top contender for the title.

A brand new week begins. This week, the ATP features two simultaneous 500-level events, which are the last two 500 tournaments remaining this season. The star-studded draw of the Vienna Open has been extensively covered in previous articles; today, let’s focus on the lineup for Basel.

After Rune withdrew from the Stockholm semifinals due to injury, his seeded spot in Basel was taken over by the ninth seed Shapovalov, causing slight adjustments to the draw.

American No.1 Fritz will enter as the top seed, facing a tough first-round opponent in the reigning Shanghai Masters champion Vachier-Lagrave. At the time of Basel’s entry deadline, Fritz's ranking was much lower, so he initially entered as a wildcard.

Also in the first quarter are Lehecka and Humbert, who recently finished runner-up at a tour final. The French No.1 will face Korda in the opening round.

The second quarter is led by Ruud, who just defeated Humbert to claim the Stockholm title. Eighth seed Fokina will meet Sonego in round one, while two players entering with wildcards or protected rankings face strong opponents: Wawrinka against Kecmanovic, and Brooksby against the Frenchman Muller, who recently played a key role in Medvedev ending his title drought.

The third quarter is headed by Menchik and Shapovalov. The first-round spotlight match features Brazil’s rising star Fonseca against French heavy hitter Paire; meanwhile, Shanghai Masters runner-up Lindgren remains a dangerous wildcard in the draw that no one wants to face early.

The final quarter is led by Shelton. Interestingly, when tournaments run simultaneously in the same week, many American players tend to concentrate their participation in one event. Although this section's overall strength is moderate, Auger-Aliassime—who just won another tour title and has previously captured two Basel crowns—is undoubtedly the favorite to win. He will face Canadian veteran Nardi in the first round across the net.

The most successful player in Basel’s history is undoubtedly local legend Federer, who achieved a five-time consecutive title run and a three-time consecutive run, totaling ten championships. This is one of only two tournaments where he has won double-digit titles in his career (the other being Halle).

Last year, Frenchman Paire performed excellently, defeating Shelton in the final to claim the most significant title of his career so far. This year, both players will compete again, and with five spots still open for the year-end finals, the battle for qualification remains highly anticipated.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Luo Cheng Qiye)