In the penultimate week of tennis before the Nitto ATP Finals kick off on November 13, there’s still a lot left to play for.
For some.
Heading into the Swiss Indoors ATP 500 in Basel, Switzerland, the top two seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals. However, all eyes are on third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has been making a strong last-ditch effort to qualify for the year-end event and currently holds the final qualifying spot for the tournament.
A win here would see Auger-Aliassime gain some breathing room—while a loss could be catastrophic with Taylor Fritz and Hubert Hurkacz both in action this week and nipping at the Canadian’s heels.
Bookmaker William Hill brings the odds for this tournament as we look at how the week’s play is likely to unfold.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: October 24th, 12:00 A.M. (EST)
Unfortunately for Auger-Aliassime, there is one big obstacle to the 21-year-old winning his third consecutive title this week and it goes by the name of Carlos Alcaraz.
The current world No. 1 has won five titles this year, including the recent US Open that saw him become the youngest ever world No. 1 just months ago. Alcaraz leads the odds at this ATP 500 in Basel with a pay out of 4.50 should the Spanish teenager claim his 6th title of the season this week.
However, an Alcaraz win is far from certain. After the high of becoming world No. 1 and winning his first Grand Slam, Alcaraz has underwhelmed, crashing out in the first round of the Astana Open recently. He’s also qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals and perhaps has his eyes set on that already. There’s every chance the Spaniard will struggle to bring his best in Basel this week.
Auger-Aliassime is the second favourite in the odds at 7.50 despite being the third seed. This is courtesy of the Canadian’s hot form—he has won the last two tournaments he’s played and comes into this week with everything on the line.
Next in the odds is world No .2 Casper Ruud, who is just behind Auger-Aliassime priced at 8.00. Ruud has also been flat since making the US Open final and becoming world No. 2 and will be looking to revive his form ahead of the Nitto ATP Finals, which he has also qualified for.
A handful of interesting first round match-ups present themselves this week with Carlos Alcaraz squaring off against NextGen hope Jack Draper at the top of the draw. On the other end, Casper Ruud runs into three-time Grand Slam champion and home favourite Stan Wawrinka in what is a dangerous match-up for the Norwegian.
Predicted Results:
Quarterfinals:
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Lorenzo Musetti
Holger Rune vs. Marin Cilic
Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Brandon Nakashima
Semifinals:
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime
Marin Cilic vs. Roberto Bautista Agut
Final:
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Marin Cilic
Winner:
Carlos Alcaraz
