The 2017 edition of the St. Petersburg Open offers a large purse for a 28-player event. The small field means that there are fewer paychecks to go around, fattening the pay amount for each player who makes the main draw of the tournament. We’re not going to see any of the big superstars at this event. Of course, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are banged up. Rafael Nadal is coming off a big win at the U.S. Open but he’s not going to sweat this event. And Roger Federer is likely to take it easy between now and the rest of the year, so he’s out. That leaves guys like Roberto Bautista Agut and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as the top favorites at this event. It’ll still be quite competitive. The 28-player field also means that the top four seeds get a bye into the second round, automatically meaning a larger share of winnings. There are definite financial attractions to playing here.
The competition in the 28-player main draw begins on Monday, September 18.
Event Details
Event: St. Petersburg Open
Category: ATP World Tour – 250 Series
Date: September 18-24, 2017
Location: Sibur Arena – St. Petersburg, Russia
The 2017 St. Petersburg Open has made sure that pros have every incentive to play at this tournament.
With a prize money allotment of $1 million, this is a rare ATP 250 event which is far more lucrative than the standard 250s on the tour. While the Metz event commands a regular prize purse, this is several hundred thousand dollars richer, which gives extra good reason for players to start their fall seasons early instead of taking an extra week off before going to Asia.
Points
Champion – 250
Runner-up – 150
Semifinal – 90
Quarterfinal – 45
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2016: Alexander Zverev def. Stan Wawrinka – 6-2, 3-6, 7-5
2015: Milos Raonic def. Joao Sousa – 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
2014: Not held
2013: Ernests Gulbis def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez – 3-6, 6-4, 6-0
2012: Martin Klizan def. Fabio Fognini – 6-2, 6-3
2011: Marin Cilic def. Janko Tipsarevic – 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Player Info:
Roberto Bautista Agut still can’t go deep at a major tournament. He suffered a disappointing loss to Juan Martin del Potro at the U.S. Open in the third round. However, he still makes a very good living on the tour by winning or going very deep in smaller events. He won the ATP 250 event at Winston-Salem. He made the quarterfinals in Montreal. He has made quarterfinals and semifinals at other 250 events this season. Doing well at this level sustains his points and his placement in the rankings.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a new father, and that’s why he’s playing this tournament instead of the nearby Metz event. The pay is much better. Tsonga has had a terrible season. He was wiped out by Denis Shapovalov in the second round of the U.S. Open. Maybe playing away from his home country will relax Tsonga and give him a sharper focus.
Fabio Fognini, recently banned from the U.S. Open for highly offensive remarks, and also a new dad, needs a week without controversy or disruption. One of tennis’ most combustible personalities is similarly erratic on the court. His greatest opponent is often himself, and that will probably be the case at this tournament.
Adrian Mannarino gets the fourth seed and the last first-round bye in this tournament. He earned this seed by getting into the top 32 in the world. He made the round of 16 at Wimbledon and beat Sam Querrey in Cincinnati. He made the quarterfinals in Montreal. He has played the best tennis of his career this year and will try to keep the train rolling.
Philipp Kohlschreiber made the fourth round of the U.S. Open, tying his best showing at the event. He won in Kitzbuhel on clay and reached the Hamburg semifinals. Kohlschreiber has had a very solid summer and will try to carry that play into autumn. We’ll see if he can make a deep run at this event where many of the stars are staying home.
Sibur Arena
The facility, built this century, holds just over 7,000 people in its main arena, in a sloping and intimate configuration in which fans are on top of the action. The main building also hosts Russian professional basketball and other sporting competitions.
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