Scouting Report

Scouting Report: Paul, Griekspoor, Baez headline Houston, Marrakech, Bucharest fields

The ATP Tour transitions onto clay this week, with three ATP 250 events taking place in Houston, Marrakech and Bucharest, respectively.

Tommy Paul headlines the action at home in Houston, where the American will compete as the top seed at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. Tallon Griekspoor leads the field at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, while Sebastian Baez will aim to clinch his second title of the season in Bucharest, where he is the top seed at the Tiriac Open presented by UniCredit Bank.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN HOUSTON
1) Top Seed Tommy: Paul will chase his first title of the season in Houston, where he is bidding to improve on his 13-5 record for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. After making his Top 10 debut in January with his run to the Australian Open semi-finals, the American has since dropped to No. 13. But the top-seeded Paul could make up ground with a strong run in Houston.

2) Can Tiafoe Reclaim The Trophy? The 2023 champion, Frances Tiafoe fell short of a successful title defence to Ben Shelton in last year’s final, but will be eager to reclaim the silverware this week. Seeded second, the 27-year-old is set to face his doubles partner for the week, Michael Mmoh, or Adam Walton in his opening match.

3) #NextGenATP Tien’s Clay Debut: Last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF runner-up Learner Tien will compete in his first tour-level event on clay in Houston. The 19-year-old has already scored Top-10 wins over Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev this year on hard courts, and will aim to notch more success on the clay.

4) American Threats: Seeds Brandon Nakashima and Alex Michelsen are among the 11 American players in the Houston draw, excluding qualifiers. Christopher Eubanks looks for his second tour-level win on clay when he plays Rinky Hijikata, while wild cards Ethan Quinn and Mmoh are also in action.

5) Galloway/Withrow Aim For Glory: Robert Galloway and Jackson Withrow team for the first time this season as the top seeds in Houston. They face the pairing of Tiafoe/Mmoh in an all-American first-round clash.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN MARRAKECH
1) Can Griekspoor Maintain Form? Griekspoor reached the semi-finals in Dubai and the quarter-finals in Indian Wells in back-to-back hard-court events, and he will want to build on that form as he transitions onto the clay. The top seed, who is yet to lift a title on the surface, opens against former Top 10 Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta or wild card Younes Lalami Laaroussi.

2) Muller Chases Second Title Of Season: Alexandre Muller raced out of the blocks by winning his maiden ATP Tour trophy in Hong Kong in January, and he later produced an impressive run to the final at the ATP 500 in Rio. The 2023 finalist is at a career-high No. 41 in the PIF ATP Rankings and could rise further with a strong showing in Marrakech.

3) Sonego Leads Italian Seeds: The second-seeded Lorenzo Sonego is joined by countrymen Luciano Darderi and Mattia Bellucci among the Italian threats in the field. Sonego has reached the quarter-finals in each of his two appearances in Marrakech, notably falling to the eventual champion Matteo Berrettini last year.

4) Former Champ Carballes Baena: Roberto Carballes Baena has fond memories of his time in Marrakech, having claimed the title in 2023 and reached last year’s final. The Spaniard will hope to draw on these results as he aims to improve on his 6-9 record on the season.

5) Top Seeds Nys/Roger-Vasselin: Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin headline the doubles action at the ATP 250. The Monegasque-French duo has reached the at least quarter-final stage at five of the seven events it has played this season.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN BUCHAREST
1) Baez Seeks More Clay Success: Despite leaving the Sunshine Double without a match win, Baez will be confident in his clay-court ability to turn his form around in Bucharest. The top seed holds a 9-2 record on the surface this season, including the Rio title and a run to the final in Santiago the following week.

2) Wild Cards Wawrinka, Gasquet: Three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka and former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet have received wild cards to the ATP 250 event. Wawrinka opens against a qualifier, while Gasquet faces Botic van De Zandschulp.

3) Defending Champ Fucsovics: Marton Fucsovics triumphed in Bucharest last year for his first title since 2018. The Hungarian, who is competing in his second ATP Tour event of the season, will start his title defence against Luca Nardi, who leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 1-0.

4) Can Navone Go One Further? Mariano Navone reached his second tour-level final in Bucharest last year, and will be hoping to step up his quest for a maiden trophy. The Argentine faces three-time ATP Tour titlist Laslo Djere in the first round.

5) Granollers/Zeballos Lead Field: Horacio Zeballos and Marcel Granollers headline the doubles action in Bucharest, where they are aiming to record their first tour-level match win of the season. The Argentine-Spanish duo triumphed at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Phoenix earlier this month.