2023 Sofia Open ATP Entry List - Shelton, Fritz, Tiafoe & more

18/10/2023 05:07 | by Nurein Ahmed

The 2023 Sofia Open will operate on a single-year license as confirmed by the ATP, replacing the Tel Aviv Open which was called off due to the outbreak of war in the region.

This ATP 250 event will take place from November 5th to 11th in Bulgaria's capital city, Sofia. A 28-player singles field will have the chance to lift the final tennis tournament of the 2023 season (excluding the ATP and Next Gen Finals).

Most of the storylines will likely be written by then, but there is a slight possibility we might have one more chapter of the ATP Race to Turin still yet to be decided, with a major aspirant for the eight-man field at the season finale scheduled to appear in Sofia.

That man is the top seed, Taylor Fritz. He is in the hunt to clinch a place at the ATP Finals in Turin, which follows this tournament. But that will depend on whether the 25-year-old Californian will accumulate sufficient points before then to force his way into the top eight.

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Half of the top eight seeds in Sofia are Americans. Second seed Frances Tiafoe and third seed Ben Shelton will look to finish the season in a flourish. Shelton will play at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah later in November, potentially as the top seed.

The 21-year-old lefty will target to forge some momentum before playing the 21-and-under tournament for the first time. Fifth seed Sebastian Korda is aiming for one last push to finish the season in the Top 20 which would be a great way to see out an injury-ravaged year.

Italy's Lorenzo Musetti is another player who will play at the Next Gen Finals. This tournament could restore his confidence on indoor hard courts. Jan-Lennard Struff is the eighth seed and could be a nightmare opponent during the week owing to his monstrous serve and heavy ground strokes in these conditions.

Argentina's Sebastian Baez is much improved on hard courts these days and he's got a title from Winston-Salem to show for his efforts. He'll be a perennial threat. That also applies to Alexei Popyrin whose first ATP title came on an indoor hard court a couple of years ago.

Three players will receive wild cards to join the main draw and a couple of special exemption entrants will be allocated by the tournament. Four players from qualifying will complete the setup. You can check the full entry list down below.

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