VTB KREMLIN CUP STORYLINES

Olympic Stadium | , Russia | 15-21 October 2018 Draw: S-28, D-16 | Prize Money: $856,445 | Surface: Indoor Hard

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10 THINGS TO WATCH IN MOSCOW

1) Ending Indoors: Only indoor remains on the calendar, beginning with ATP World Tour 250 events this week in Moscow, Antwerp and Stockholm. At the VTB Kremlin Cup, ATP Most Improved Player of the Year contenders Marco Cecchinato and Daniil Medvedev are the Top 2 seeds.

2) Sicilian Sensation: Cecchinato entered the season with four wins on the ATP World Tour. The 26- year-old has 23 wins in 2018 alone with clay-court titles at Budapest and Umag. Cecchinato upset 2016 champion at Roland Garros to become the first semi-finalist from in 40 years. On Monday, Cecchinato will break into the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings.

3) Russian No. 1: Medvedev became the Russian No. 1 on 8 October after winning his third and biggest title of the season at the ATP World Tour 500 event in Tokyo. All three of Medvedev’s title wins have come over opponents playing on home soil. He defeated in the Sydney final, Steve Johnson in the Winston-Salem final and then-No. 12 in the Tokyo final.

4) 22 and Rising: Fellow 22-year-old Moscow native is the No. 3 seed in Moscow after accepting a wild card. While Medvedev has 37 wins on the season, Khachanov is not far behind with 35. The former Russian No. 1 won the second title of his career at Marseille in February and advanced to his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final and semi-final at Toronto in August.

5) Even Younger: Neither Medvedev nor Khachanov began 2018 as the Russian No. 1. That honor went to , who turns 21 on 20 October. After struggling with a back injury, Rublev is seventh in the ATP Race to Milan with seven players due to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals.

6) The Champ is Here: Damir 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 23-28 in 2018, Dzumhur added his third ATP title at Antalya in June.

7) Welcome to Russia: While Dzumhur feels right at home on indoor Russian hard courts, will be making his debut in Russia this week. The 23-year-old wild card started his season on a seven-match winning streak. Since then, Kyrgios is 17-13 and has not appeared in a final.

8) Comeback Kliz: In 2017, Martin Klizan injured his left calf and did not play a tour-level match after Wimbledon. He fell to No. 181 in the ATP Rankings on 26 February 2018. Klizan is back in the Top 50 after winning the Kitzbuhel title in August and reaching the St. Petersburg final in September.

9) Ranking Pressure: Filip Krajinovic reached the final of ATP Masters 1000 Paris as a qualifier in 2017. When he returns to Paris in two weeks, Krajinovic will defend 625 of his 1,222 ranking points. Injured for much of 2018, Krajinovic can earn much-needed points as the No. 4 seed in Moscow.

10) Dream Team: For the first time since reaching the ATP Masters 1000 Miami final in March, Khachanov and Rublev will play doubles together at an ATP World Tour event. The Russians beat Nitto ATP Finals qualifiers / and Oliver Marach/Mate Pavic in Miami. Information accurate as of Friday, 12 October at 12 pm ET. For the latest stats, facts and figures about the ATP World Tour, follow @ATPMediaInfo on Twitter.