The start of April has traditionally been a unique time as tennis players disperse between three continents and compete on clay.
The Estoril Open is one of three clay-court tournaments running from April 1st to 7th, which marks the start of the clay swing in Europe.
Held in Cascais, Portugal, this year's tournament will assemble some of the hardest workers on the ATP Tour, with seven of the Top 8 seeds ranked in the world's Top 50.
Last year, Casper Ruud won this tournament for the first time, maintaining his stranglehold on the ATP 250s. The Norwegian returns to defend his title but will be the second seed.
The top seed is Poalnd's Hubert Hurkacz, who will seek an improvement from last year's second-round exit. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Lorenzo Musetti, Arthur Fils, and last year's runner-up, Miomir Kecmanovic, are joining them.
German pair Dominik Koepfer and Daniel Altmaier are also among the seeds. Nuno Borges has emerged as Portugal's breakout star in the past year and will be a crowd favorite.
With Joao Sousa playing his final tournament as a professional in Estoril, Borges looks like the man to take over the mantle as the country's new star.
Players like Dominic Thiem and Cristian Garin have endured a surprise slump in recent years but will have a rare chance to showcase what they can do on their best surface.
The prize money figures for the tournament have been revealed. This year, the tournament has committed a purse amounting to €579,320, which is marginally lower than last year's total.
However, there will be increments across all rounds of the main draw compared to 12 months ago. For instance, the champion will make €88,125—an increase of almost €3,000 from when Ruud won the tournament last season.
The champion will also receive 250 points. The vanquished finalist will not leave Estoril without any prize. He'll collect a runner-up trophy and pocket €51,400. Additionally, he will receive 165 points.
Compensation begins in the first round. These players will earn €6,215 but won't receive any ranking points. Secon-rounders, meanwhile, stand to gain €10,165 and also 25 points. The complete breakdown is as indicated below.
| Points | Prize Money | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | 250 points | €88,125 |
| Finalist | 165 points | €51,400 |
| Semi-finalists | 100 points | €30,220 |
| Quarter-finalists | 50 points | €17,510 |
| 2nd round | 25 points | €10,165 |
| 1st round | 0 points | €$6,215 |