Winston-Salem
Draper, Mikkelsen and Borges could be smart projection candidates for Winston-Salem.
Making a Choice for Winston-Salem
August 17, 2024
ATP Tour/Getty Images
The Winston-Salem draw also includes Jack Draper, Alex Mikkelsen and Nuno Borges. ATP Staff
After back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati, the ATP Tour moves to Winston-Salem next week for an ATP 250 event.
A host of star players will be bidding for crucial PIF ATP Rankings points, including defending champion Sebastian Baez, second seed Jack Draper and third-seeded wild card Francisco Cerundolo.
Choose now!
Jack Draper — Traded 20 points
The 22-year-old is enjoying the best season of his career, having won his first ATP Tour title in Stuttgart, and if the British left-hander can win again in Winston-Salem, he will replace a player 20 points behind him in the rankings and so will gain a lot of net points.
Draper has been on a roll since upsetting Stefanos Tsitsipas in Cincinnati and has long been a dangerous opponent on hard courts. His strong serve and attacking game have proven difficult for many players to overcome. He was the No. 2 seed in Winston-Salem, where his older brother, Ben Draper, played a season of collegiate tennis.
Alex Michelsen – 25 points instead
The Cincinnati draw saw the #NextGenATP American lose in the second round of the main draw, but Mikkelsen proved he was in good form, having advanced through the qualifiers with a tough fight against Jannik Sinner.
The two-time Newport finalist continues to climb the PIF ATP rankings and will have another chance to make a breakthrough in Winston-Salem, chasing a first title. The 19-year-old will be feeling confident after reaching the quarter-finals in Washington, where he forced eventual finalist Flavio Cobori into a final-set tiebreak.
Nuno Borges scored 20 points
The Portuguese star won his first tour-level title on the clay court of Bastado earlier this year, but he's also good on hard courts. Borges, who reached the fourth round at this year's Australian Open, played collegiate tennis (on hard courts) at Mississippi State University.
Borges is the No. 8 seed out of Winston-Salem and will face either James Duckworth or Thiago Seybos Wild in the opening round.
Bonus Ball — Alex Michelsen
Mikkelsen is seeded 11th and has never won an ATP Tour title, but there's no reason not to expect the teenager to make a big splash now. The American has proven he prefers faster surfaces, where he can make the most of his serve and get behind opponents' serve in an all-court game.
There's plenty of room to add net points in Winston-Salem, so doubling that number could mean a big week for the PIF ATP Rankings projections team.
