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The post-Wimbledon European clay swing continues in full flow, with the Generali Open scheduled next in Kitzbuhel, Austria, from July 25-30. The ATP 250 claycourt event will give players a good opportunity to build some rhythm and confidence before embarking on the US Open Series.
World No. 5 Casper Ruud got top billing as he returns to defend his crown. Queen's Club champion Matteo Berrettini has been seeded second. Besides them, there are a host of other talented players who could shake up the draw, including the resurgent Dominic Thiem.
Without further ado, let's take a look at everything you need to know about the tournament:
What is the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel?
The Generali Open is an ATP 250 outdoor claycourt tournament held annually in the Alpine sports town of Kitzbuhel in the Tyrol region of Austria. The current tournament in Kitzbuhel was launched in 1945 shortly after the end of World War II.
The tournament has been designated several categories through the years. After being part of the ATP World Series till 1998, it gained the status of an International Series Gold tournament from 1999–2008 before becoming an ATP World Tour 250 event in 2009.
It was demoted to the ATP Challenger Tour in 2010 only to return to the tour as an ATP 250 event the following year.
Roy Emerson, Manuel Santana, Guillermo Vilas, Albert Costa, and Juan Martin del Potro are some of the names to have lifted the trophy at this tournament. In 2019, Dominic Thiem ended a 26-year wait for a homegrown champion as he became the first Austrian winner at Kitzbuhel since Thomas Muster in 1993.
Casper Ruud won the title in 2021, beating Pedro Martinez in the final.
Venue
This tournament has been held at the Tennis Stadium Kitzbühel — a tennis complex located at the Kitzbüheler Tennisclub (KTC) in Kitzbühel, Austria, since 1945.
Players
The top four seeds in the 28-player field at the Generali Open are Casper Ruud, Matteo Berrettini, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Aslan Karatsev. All four players have received a bye into the second round.
Having struggled since finishing as the runner-up at the French Open, Ruud seems to have rediscovered his touch this week at Gstaad. The Norwegian has set up a final clash with second seed Matteo Berrettini and will be eager to successfully defend his title.
Berrettini, too, seems to have picked up from where he left off before testing positive for COVID-19 that kept him out of action from the Wimbledon Championships. Back in June, the Italian made a thunderous return to the circuit from hand surgery and won back-to-back titles on grass at Stuttgart and the Queen's Club.
Although missing out on the grasscourt Major was extremely disappointing for the World No. 15, he has bounced back spectacularly at Gstaad and will be keen to continue the momentum at Kitzbuhel.
World No. 19 Roberto Bautista Agut, meanwhile, finds himself in a slump. The Spaniard will look to snap his three-match losing streak at the Austrian tournament.
Having been in a rut since his Sydney triumph, Aslan Karatsev has shown some semblance of form over the past two weeks. With quarterfinal finishes in Bastad and Hamburg, he seems to have turned the corner.
Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Tallon Griekspoor, Pedro Martinez, and Joao Sousa round out the top eight seeds.
Cristian Garin and Dominic Thiem are two other players in the draw to keep an eye on. Garin reached his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon but made an early exit from Gstaad this week. The Chilean, who starts his campaign against Federico Coria, will want to go all out to return to winning ways at the Generali Open.
2019 champion Thiem will command the lion's share of attention at his home tournament, where he begins his challenge against French veteran Richard Gasquet. The former US Open winner is on a resurgent run, having made the quarterfinals in Bastad and the semifinals in Gstaad. However, Thiem has his Gstaad conqueror Berrettini standing in the way of reaching the quarterfinals.
The full draw can be accessed here.
Schedule
The qualifying rounds in Kitzbuhel are scheduled for Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24. The main-draw action kicks off on July 25 at 11 am local time.
The quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final will be held on July 28, 29 and 30 respectively. While the doubles final will be held on July 30 at 11.30 am, the singles summit clash will follow at 2 pm on the same day.
Prize Money
The total financial commitment for the upcoming edition of the Generali Open is €597,900, while the prize money is €534,555. The winner will take home 250 points and a cheque of €81,310.
Where to watch
Viewers from the US can catch all the action at the Generali Open live on the Tennis Channel, while fans in the UK will be able to see it live on Amazon Prime Video.
Canadians can watch the matches live on TSN. In Australia, one can view the action on beIN Sports.
In Austria, live streaming will be available on ServusTV.
Live action can also be followed on TennisTV.
