Week in preview: Nick Kyrgios & Alex Di Minaur return to action at the Atlanta Open, Carlos Alcaraz headlines Croatia Open, Iga Swiatek in action in Poland & more
With the tennis extravaganza almost drawing to an end on the clay courts in Europe, a few of the top tennis pros will return to kick off the hard court season at the 2022 Atlanta Open. Nick Kyrgios, Alex De Minaur, Frances Tiafoe and Reilly Opelka will all feature at the ATP 250 event in the United States.
All eyes will be on World No. 45 Nick Kyrgios as he looks to play his first match after an outstanding grasscourt season. The Australian registered 12 wins from 15 matches on grass, reaching the semifinals at the Stuttgart Open and Halle Open before an eye-catching run at the Wimbledon Championships.
Kyrgios made the finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career but couldn't see off the challenge from World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who ousted him in four sets to pick up his seventh crown at SW19.
Arrived.
#AtlantaOpen | #USOpenSeries | @NickKyrgios https://t.co/RlI9OdNRRl
Taylor Fritz, Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie were also slated to participate at the Atlanta Open but withdrew from the tournament.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will feature at the Croatia Open in Umag, continuing the action on claycourts. They will be the favorites to win at Umag.
Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek will play her first match since her defeat to French veteran Alize Cornet in the third round at Wimbledon. Anett Kontaveit and Barbora Krejcikova will headline the WTA 250 Prague Open in the Czech Republic.
Atlanta Open - ATP 250
Reilly Opelka and defending champion John Isner will be the top two seeds at the Atlanta Open. The event will be played on outdoor hardcourts as part of the USTA's US Open Series, a seven-week summer season leading up to the US Open Championships.
Apart from top players like Nick Kyrgios, Alex De Minaur and Tommy Paul, there was also a surprise entrant in the main draw of the Atlanta Open. India's Ramkumar Ramanathan outfoxed British No. 5 Jack Draper in the last qualifier to make the main draw of an ATP event for only the third time in his career. The 27-year-old will square off against Ben Shelton in the first round of the Atlanta Open.
🏼
fights his way through a tough match and overcomes Jack Draper 
in 3 sets: 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (2). 
What a fight 💪🏼
@ramkumar1994 🇮🇳 fights his way through a tough match and overcomes Jack Draper 🇬🇧 in 3 sets: 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (2).
Ramanathan is the last qualifier through in Atlanta!
#AtlantaOpen | #USOpenSeries https://t.co/UVNR0opgKV
Last year's runner-up and local favorite Brandon Nakashima will lock horns with Jordan Thompson in the first round.
Croatia Open Umag - ATP 250
World No. 6 Carlos Alcaraz leads the pack at the Croatia Open in Umag. He will be entering the tournament on the back of a second-place finish at the Hamburg European Open. The Spaniard has only lost three matches on clay this season and will be one of the favorites to win in Croatia and returns as the defending champion of his first ever ATP title.
Croatia always look this beautiful! 
We are waiting for you in Umag! 
Postcards from 🇭🇷 Croatia always look this beautiful! 💛💙💚 We are waiting for you in Umag!
@Croatia_hr
#CroatiaYourLifeTimeExperience #CroatiaNaturallyYours https://t.co/W4crQsVcVO
The tournament has been held every summer since it began in 1990, with 2020 being an exception due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Poland Open - WTA 250
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will be back in action in her hometown at the Poland Open. She will be playing her first match since her third-round exit at the Wimbledon Championships. The 21-year-old was on a 37-match win streak before losing out to former World No. 11 Alize Cornet. She'll be looking to get back to winning ways and prepare well for the hardcourt season.
BNP Paribas Poland Open 2022(Warsaw WTA250) Draw, Seeds, Players, Prize Money, Points and Tickets sportscroc.com/wat-tour-tenni… #wtawarsaw #tennis
Palermo Ladies Open winner Irina Camelia Begu will also take part in the WTA 250 event alongside Petra Martic and Caroline Garcia.
Prague Open - WTA 250
The 13th edition of the Prague Open is scheduled to be held at the TK Sparta Praha Stadium from July 25-31. Defending Champion Barbora Krejcikova returns to the tournament as the second seed.
World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit joins the roster of players alongside former champion Petra Kvitova, Elise Mertens, Sorana Cirstea and local favorite Karolina Muchova.
Last year's finalist Tereza Martincova will also look to have a successful run and make an impact on the main tour. She'll begin her campaign against Chloe Paquet on Monday.
🏻Last year’s finalist Tereza Martincova wants to see you in the crowds tomorrow! 🏟👏🏻
#livesportpragueopen2022 #LPO2022 #wta #WTAPrague #wtatennis https://t.co/6ueg5sYVvH