Astana Open 2022: Men's draw, schedule, players, prize money breakdown and more
The ATP tour heads to Kazakhstan for the 2022 Astana Open, which will be held from October 3-9.
World No. 1 and reigning US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz headlines the draw as the top seed. Fellow top 10 players Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Novak Djokovic, Andrey Rublev and Jannik Sinner follow the Spaniard in as the top seeds in the event.
Grand Slam champions Andy Murray, Marin Cilic and Stan Wawrinka are also in the mix. Top 20 players Hubert Hurkacz, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Karen Khachanov are some of the other in-form contenders to look out for.
Grigor Dimitrov, Gael Monfils, Diego Schwartzman and Lorenzo Musetti were some of the other players scheduled to participate, but withdrew due to a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, most of the top players on the men's tour have arrived to compete in Kazakhstan.
On that note, here's all the information regarding the Astana Open:
What is the Astana Open?
The Astana Open is a relatively new addition to the ATP tour. It was first held in 2020 to make up for the cancelation of tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. John Millman won the inaugural edition.
The tournament found itself a spot on the tennis calendar once again the following year. The tournament also played host to the WTA tour in 2021 as well. Kwon Soon-woo and Alison Van Uytvanck emerged as champions last year.
While the previous two editions were at the ATP 250 level, this year, the tournament has been upgraded to the ATP 500 series.
Venue
The tournament will take place at the National Tennis Center in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Players
Carlos Alcaraz leads the top half of the draw and is up against fellow teenager Holger Rune in the first round. The Spaniard could face Stan Wawrinka in the second round.
Andrey Rublev and Aslan Karatsev have been drawn against qualifiers in the opening round. Stefanos Tsitsipas will face home favorite Mikhail Kukushkin in the first round, while Hubert Hurkacz will take on Francisco Cerundolo in his opener.
Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic are the highest seeds in the bottom half of the draw. While the former is up against Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round, the latter will take on Cristian Garin.
ATP500 Astana Open main draw https://t.co/yfowtsoXFs
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Karen Khachanov have been handed tough openers as they will face Roberto Bautista Agut and Maxime Cressy respectively. Jannik Sinner will begin against Oscar Otte.
Schedule
The qualifying rounds will be held on October 1-2. The main draw begins on Monday, October 3, with the first and second matches being played until Thursday, October 6.
The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Prize Money
The total prize money for this year's edition of the Astana Open is $1,900,000. The winner will walk away with a cheque worth $355,310 along with 500 ranking points. Here's a detailed breakdown of the prize money and ranking points:
Where to watch
Viewers in the US, UK, Australia and Canada can watch the Astana Open live on the following channels and sites:
USA: All matches will be broadcast on Tennis Channel.
UK: British fans can watch the matches on Amazon Prime Video.
Australia: All matches will be telecast on beIN Sports.
Canada: Viewers in Canada can watch all the matches on TSN.
For more information regarding the broadcast of matches, click here.