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Home , Dominic Thiem

ST. PETERSBURG OPEN STORYLINES

Sibur Arena | St. Petersburg, Russia | 17-23 September 2018 Draw: S-28, D-16 | Prize Money: $1,175,190 | Surface: Indoor Hard

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10 THINGS TO WATCH IN ST. PETERSBURG

1) We’re Going Inside: Indoor tennis will be played for the first time since February at tournaments in St. Petersburg and Metz this week. The St. Petersburg Open offers the second-largest purse of the 40 ATP World Tour 250 events. The Top 5 Russians will compete for $1,175,190 in prize money alongside No. 8 Dominic Thiem, wild card and 2017 champion Damir Dzumhur.

2) Last Hurrah: Mikhail Youzhny is expected to play the final event of his career in St. Petersburg. Youzhny, 36, is the winningest player in St. Petersburg Open history with a 34-14 record. The 2004 champion and three-time finalist has not missed the event since 2000. Youzhny is two wins shy of 500 for his career and would join Yevgeny Kafelnikov as the only Russians to reach the milestone.

3) Top 10 Thiem: Only has spent more consecutive weeks in the Top 10 than Thiem. The Austrian has been a mainstay in the Top 10 since reaching the Roland Garros semi-finals in 2016. Thiem pushed Nadal to a fifth-set tiebreaker earlier this month in the US Open quarter-finals.

4) Getting Closer: After losing in the first round at Roland Garros, Wawrinka fell from No. 30 to No. 263 in the ATP Rankings. Three months later, the three-time champion is back in the Top 100. Wawrinka finished runner-up to at the 2016 St. Petersburg Open.

5) Career Year: Top Italian returned to a career-high No. 13 in the ATP Rankings on 10 September. Fognini seeks his fourth ATP World Tour 250 title of 2018 following Sao Paulo, Bastad and Los Cabos. His three titles this season are the most won by an Italian since 1977.

6) No. 1 Russian: Also enjoying a career-high ranking this week is World No. 25 , who like Thiem, extended Nadal past four hours at the US Open. Prior to reaching the US Open third round, Khachanov advanced to the fourth round at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

7) Medvedev’s Move: Fellow 22-year-old Russian rose to a career-high No. 35 on 10 September. Medvedev swept 17 straight sets en route to the Winston-Salem title and US Open third round in August. Earlier this season, he captured the Sydney championship as a qualifier.

8) First Time for Everything: Dzumhur made history in 2017 as the first player to sweep both Russian tournaments in a single season. The St. Petersburg and Moscow champion ended 2017 on a 24-7 run. Though he is 20-24 in 2018, Dzumhur added his third ATP title at Antalya in June.

9) International Man of Mystery: Born in Israel to parents from the former Soviet Union, moved to Toronto as an infant and represents Canada on tour. The 19-year-old, who speaks Russian, has played once before in Russia as a wild card at the 2016 Moscow Challenger.

10) Living Legend: Leander Paes bids to become the second-oldest doubles champion since the ATP World Tour was established in 1990 when he teams with Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela. Paes, 45, owns 54 doubles titles. But he’s lost his last five finals, including the 2016 St. Petersburg Open. John McEnroe is the oldest doubles champion in the ATP Era, winning 2006 San Jose at age 47. Information accurate as of Friday, 14 September at 12 pm ET. For the latest stats, facts and figures about the ATP World Tour, follow @ATPMediaInfo on Twitter.