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The 2022 Sofia Open is one of five events taking place across the ATP and WTA tours in a hectic tennis week. The tournament will be held from September 26 - October 2.
Jannik Sinner won his maiden career title at this very tournament back in 2020 and successfully defended his crown last year as well. Based on the Italian's form, he's likely to lift the trophy for the third straight year. The defending champion is also the top seed this time.
Pablo Carreno Busta, Grigor Dimitrov and Lorenzo Musetti are the next three seeded players. Youngsters Jack Draper and Holger Rune, along with three-time Major champion Stan Wawrinka, are some of the other notable players competing in the Bulgarian capital this week.
On that note, here's all the relevant information regarding the 2022 Sofia Open:
What is the Sofia Open?
A relatively new addition to the men's circuit, the Sofia Open is an ATP 250 tournament that is played on indoor hardcourts. This will be the seventh edition of the event.
It was first held in 2016, with Roberto Bautista Agut emerging as the maiden champion. Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgaria's most accomplished player, won the tournament the following year.
While the tournament used to take place in February initially, it has been held in the second half of the season since 2020.
Venue
The tournament will take place at the Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Players
The top four seeds - Jannik Sinner, Pablo Carreno Busta, Grigor Dimitrov and Lorenzo Musetti - have received a bye into the second round.
Sinner and Dimitrov headline the top half of the draw. Stan Wawrinka and Fabio Fognini are set for an exciting first-round showdown in this section. The Swiss has performed quite well at the Moselle Open and is up against Alexander Bublik in the semifinals.
Another interesting opener is between sixth seed Nikoloz Basilashivli and veteran Fernando Verdasco. Fifth seed Holger Rune will take on Tim van Rijthoven in his first-round match.
Carreno Busta and Musetti anchor the bottom half of the draw. British youngster Jack Draper, who is having a pretty decent season, will face Dusan Lajovic in the first round.
Schedule
The qualifying rounds commence on September 25 and will continue the next day as well. The main draw begins on Monday, September 26, with the first couple of rounds going on until Thursday, September 29.
The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively, from September 30 to October 2.
Prize Money
The total prize money for this year's edition is €534,555. The winner will walk away with a cash prize of €81,310 along with 250 ranking points. Here's a detailed breakdown of the prize money and ranking points:
Where to watch
Viewers in the US, UK, Australia and Canada can watch the Sofia Open live on the following channels and sites:
USA: All matches will be broadcast on Tennis Channel.
UK: Fans in the UK can catch all the action on Amazon Prime Video.
Australia: All matches will be telecast on beIN Sports.
Canada: Viewers in Canada can watch all the matches on TSN.
For more information regarding the broadcast of matches, click here.
