Alex Mann is back with This Week in Tennis where Djokovic Returns to Winning Ways. We also look ahead of next week.

Djokovic returns to winning ways – #TWIT40

It was a triumphant return to the ATP tour for Novak Djokovic, as he claimed his third title of the year. The Serb defeated second seed Marin Cilic in a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 victory.

There were few signs of rust from Djokovic last week, winning the title in Tel Aviv, Israel, without dropping a set. Having now won a staggering 89 career titles, Djokovic is no stranger to being the last person standing at the end of the week.

Player to watch: Huesler

For Marc-Andrea Huesler, however, this was his first experience as he defeated the young, promising talent Holger Rune to lift his first ATP title at the Sofia Open.

Huesler, who had won two titles this year at the second-tier Challenger level, saved two match points in the quarter-final before winning 6-4, 7-6 in the final.

With his victory, Huesler climbed the ATP singles rankings, reaching a career-high of 64. The number one male Swiss player will be one to look out for in the coming months.

Krejcikova wins the first title of the year

Barbora Krejcikova defeated home favorite Anett Kontaveit to lift the Tallinn Open in Estonia, 6-2, 6-3.

The 2021 French Open champion defeated high-quality opponents such as Tomljanovic, Kostyuk, Haddad Maia, Bencic on her way to the final. Kontaveit looked in good form coming into the final but couldn’t sustain her attacking game against the effortless-looking game of Krejcikova. A first title of the year for Krejcikova should give her confidence she can climb back into the world’s top ten.

There were also titles for Yoshihito Nishioka and Mayar Sherif this past week, as they upset the higher-ranked Denis Shapovalov and Maria Sakkari in Seoul, Korea, and Parma, Italy, respectively.

This Week in Tennis 40

This week sees the ATP and WTA players take part in Astana, Tokyo, Ostrava, and Monastir.

Japan Open Tennis Championships (ATP 500)

Casper Ruud leads the lineup in Tokyo, Japan. The Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will be a threat.

Nick Kyrgios will be making his first appearance on tour since his US Open quarter-final loss to Karen Khachanov.

Prediction – Kyrgios to win

Astana Open (ATP 500)

The third edition of the tournament in the capital city of Kazakhstan became an ATP 500 event for the first time. The previous two editions won by John Millman and Kwon Soon-woo were played as an ATP 250 event. This year’s increased ranking points have undoubtedly strengthened the field.

The newly crowned world number 1, Carlos Alcaraz is the top seed, and former number 1 Daniil Medvedev is the second seed. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Novak Djokovic, and Andrey Rublev are some of the names competing this week in Astana.

Prediction – Alcaraz to win

Ostrava Open (WTA 500)

Anett Kontaveit is the defending champion in Ostrava but faces some tough opposition. The world number 1, Iga Swiatek, has entered and will be the favorite for the title.

Paula Badosa, Maria Sakkari, Daria Kasatkina, Belinda Bencic, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Jelena Ostapenko round out the seeds.

Prediction – Swiatek to win

Jasmin Open (WTA 250)

Monastir, Tunisia, hosts the first edition of the Jasmin Open.
Ons Jabeur will look to win in front of a home crowd, entering as the top seed. Alize Cornet, Veronika Kudermetova, and Elise Mertens are some of the other names to look out for this week.

Prediction – Jabeur to win