The 2023 Astana Open will run from September 27th to October 3rd and the draw for the event has been released.
The peculiar start dates in Astana are to accommodate the Shanghai Masters which will have an expanded draw size and a prolonged schedule on the calendar. The Astana Open was downgraded to a 250 level for the 2023 edition where a 28 singles field will vie to win the only Tour-level event being held in Kazakhstan.
The top four seeds have a bye in the first round. So, Tallon Griekspoor, Sebastian Baez, Alexander Bublik, and Jiri Lehecka will learn their second-round opponents on Wednesday at the earliest. Griekspoor leads the top half of the draw and is the tournament's top seed. He'll open up against Roberto Carballes Baena or a qualifier.
Second-seeded Baez is in the bottom half in a section containing four French players. Baez could play Gregoire Barrere or a qualifier in his first match in Astana. The all-French clash pitting Adrian Mannarino and Arthur Rinderknech is one of the popcorn matches in that quarter.
Whoever wins that match is projected to meet Sebastian Baez in the last eight. Third seed Alexander Bublik is a man desperately in need of wins and there is no better place to summon his moxie than on home territory. The Kazakh player is winless in five matches on the ATP Tour.
Bublik will open up against the winner of the match between Sebastian Ofner and Marton Fucsovics. He owns a combined 4-0 winning record against both players, so he'll feel optimistic about his chances of ending his barren run.
Moving on, the fourth seed Jiri Lehecka arrives in Astana hot on the heels of a successful campaign at the Davis Cup. Lehecka was part of the Czech team that produced a perfect nine out of nine in surging to the Final 8, tallying three singles wins. He'll get a free hit in the first round and will be the heavy favorite against one of Bernabe Zapata Miralles or a qualifier.
There is a surprise wild card entrant in the draw and that is Mikhail Kukushkin. The 35-year-old has represented Kazakhstan with distinction in the past but is in the twilight of his playing career. He'll face Portugal's Nuno Borges in his first-round match.
Fifth seed Sebastian Korda faces a potential banana peel against rejuvenated Australian Alexei Popyrin in his opener. There is also an enticing all-Serbian clash between Laslo Djere and wild card Hamad Medjedovic.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka will lock horns with Marcos Giron for the first time in his career. Wawrinka is still pursuing his first ATP title since his return from multiple knee surgeries. The same case applies to Dominic Thiem, who fell short in his last ATP final in Kitzbuhel.
The Austrian enforcer will face Juan Pablo Varillas of Peru, with the winner slated to face either Wawrinka or Giron. To see the full ATP draw for the 2023 Astana Open, be sure to check it out below.
2023 Astana Open ATP Draw:
| 1. Tallon Griekspoor (1) |
| 2. BYE |
| 3. Qualifier |
| 4. Roberto Carballes Baena |
| 5. Mikhail Kukushkin |
| 6. Nuno Borges |
| 7. Alexei Popyrin |
| 8. Sebastian Korda (5) |
| 9. Jiri Lehecka (4) |
| 10. BYE |
| 11. Qualifier |
| 12. Bernabe Zapata Miralles |
| 13. Alexander Shevchenko |
| 14. Botic van de Zandschulp |
| 15. Hamad Medjedovic |
| 16. Laslo Djere (7) |
| 17. Stan Wawrinka (8) |
| 18. Marcos Giron |
| 19. Juan Pablo Varillas |
| 20. Dominic Thiem |
| 21. Marton Fucsovics |
| 22. Sebastian Ofner |
| 23. BYE |
| 24. Alexander Bublik (3) |
| 25. Adrian Mannarino (6) |
| 26. Arthur Rinderknech |
| 27. Qualifier |
| 28. Corentin Moutet |
| 29. Gregoire Barrere |
| 30. Qualifier |
| 31. BYE |
| 32. Sebastian Baez (2) |
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