Thursday tennis acca tips: Alex De Minaur and Taylor Fritz chasing Turin berths

Alex De Minaur and Taylor Fritz can continue their push to be involved in the season-ending ATP Tour Finals in Turin when they are in action in Tokyo.

Alongside the ATP 500 Japan Open in Tokyo, there are also stops in Antwerp and Stockholm for the men's tour but at the 250 level.

The WTA Tour has transitioned to the indoor scene with the Transylvania Open, but there are also outdoor events in Jiangxi and Monastir.

ATP Antwerp: Dominic Thiem vs Yannick Hanfmann | Pick: Thiem

ATP Stockholm: Stan Wawrinka vs Tomas Machac | Pick: Wawrinka

ATP Tokyo: Alex De Minaur vs Diego Sebastian Schwartzman | Pick: De Minaur

ATP Tokyo: Taylor Fritz vs Shintaro Mochizuki | Pick: Fritz

WTA Cluj-Napoca: Jil Teichmann vs Emiliana Arango | Pick: Teichmann

WTA Cluj-Napoca: Tamara Korpatsch vs Jodie Anna Burrage | Pick: Korpatsch

WTA Monastir: Clara Burel vs Erika Andreeva | Pick: Andreeva

WTA Monastir: Jasmine Paolini vs Petra Marcinko | Pick Paolini

 

ATP Antwerp: Dominic Thiem vs Yannick Hanfmann

Dominic Thiem will have a bone to pick with Yannick Hanfmann, who spoiled his Kitzbuhel homecoming last year in the only previous meeting between the players.

Thiem saw off the handy Luca Nardi last time out, even if he needed three sets to get beyond the young Italian.

Hanfmann is 3-1 on indoor hard courts this season while Thiem is 4-4 but the Austrian was in fighting form in Astana.

Thiem looks good to take this one, but it will likely go to three sets.

 

ATP Stockholm: Stan Wawrinka vs Tomas Machac

Tomas Machac has improved his chances of reaching a new career-high ranking after he was handed a place as a lucky loser in the Stockholm main draw.

Wawrinka has already won a main draw match, while Machac comes into the contest off the back of a loss last time out.

The Swiss Grand Slam champion would have been heavily favoured anyway, considering the current rankings gap between the players.

This will be the first meeting between these players at the ATP Tour level.

 

ATP Tokyo: Alex De Minaur vs Diego Sebastian Schwartzman

Alex De Minaur can rise as high as No 9 in the ATP Race to Turin with a title run in Tokyo.

He will need a few other results to go his way in order for him to get up to ninth.

De Minaur holds the lead in the head-to-head series even if he took over three hours to battle beyond Jack Draper in the final round.

Schwartzman breezed beyond compatriot Francisco Cerundolo to reach this stage but finds De Minaur in good touch.

 

ATP Tokyo: Taylor Fritz vs Shintaro Mochizuki

 

Taylor Fritz is the man in possession of the No 9 slot on the Race to Turin standings.

He could move into the No 8 spot with a tournament win even if Holger Rube retains his Nordic Open title in Stockholm.

Shintaro Mochizuki won in his first ATP Tour match of the season when he upset Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round.

However, Fritz will more than likely prove a bridge too far for the 20-year-old world No 215.

 

WTA Cluj-Napoca: Jil Teichmann vs Emiliana Arango

Emiliana Arango might hold a rankings edge over Jil Teichmann, but the Swiss veteran has beaten her in both of their previous meetings.

Arango was unable to take a set off Teichmann in either of those clashes, the most recent of which came in May at the Catalonia Open.

Teichmann has a big edge on experience, even if she has endured a disrupted 2023 season.

Arango is still trying to cement herself on tour, but she has yet to enjoy the kind of opportunities that might help her match her opponent.

 

WTA Cluj-Napoca: Tamara Korpatsch vs Jodie Anna Burrage

Jodie Burrage blitzed past Ankita Raina in her opening round match but will have more trouble with Tamara Korpatsch.

Korpatsch beat Frenchwoman Leolia Jeanjean in her first round match, and while she is ranked lower than Burrage, she owns the 1-0 head-to-head lead over the Brit.

Burrage reached the last eight in Rouen last week but could struggle to match Korpatsch in this event.

Korpatsch beat Burrage just last month in their last meeting, and that will be playing on her mind.

 

WTA Monastir: Clara Burel vs Erika Andreeva

Erika Andreeva is out to continue turning heads even as her sister gets a lot of the attention.

Andreeva will need to be close to her best to down Clara Burel, who leads her in their WTA Tour head-to-head.

Andreeva owns a win over Burel, but that came in an ITF-level event.

Burel has enjoyed the better season, but Andreeva looked smooth in her first-round win.

 

WTA Monastir: Jasmine Paolini vs Petra Marcinko

Jasmine Paolini has Petra Marcinko standing in her way in Tunisia and should overcome that obstacle.

Simply put, the world No 30 should have no problem beating the world No 140.

Paolini has threatened title runs time and again this season and could be the Monastir favourite right now.

These players will face each other for the first time at the Jasmin Open on Thursday.