Six men from the back of the bench walk onto the court in Turin on Wednesday, and they’re not all playing for the same thing. Alex de Minaur, who is first off the line, can close in on Rafael Jodard’s 254 points by beating Learner Tien in Vienna. In Basel, Novak Djokovic opens the competition with Hugo Humbert, trailing by 344 points, while Taylor Fritz, on his 29th birthday, faces Rinki Hijikata.
Daniil Medvedev and Francis Tiafoe, both inside the field, are winless in Vienna in the PIF ATP Live Race, leading the Tour with a first-round win. Only a player’s best results outside of Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events count, and 50 points to advance to the second round will not improve either, so Medvedev cannot overtake Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday. Jakub Mensik ends the day against Adrian Mannarino.
Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals (November 15-22). Yannick Siner, seeded second in the race, is out for the rest of the season and his spot goes to the next man on the qualifying list under ATP rules. That leaves five spots in the game. They belong to Kobolli (3680), Medvedev (3660), Arthur Fils (3475), Tiafoe (3380) and Jodar (3184). This year’s Grand Slam titles went to Zverev, Alcaraz and Meghavor, so no major champion outside the top seven can claim a spot ahead of the race.
| # | Player: | This week | Points: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1: | Alexander Zverev FAT: | Qualified | 9190 | |
| 2: | Jannik Sinner: ATA: | Out for the season | 7950 | |
| 3: | Carlos Alcaraz ESP: | Qualified | 4650 | |
| 4: | Ben Shelton USA: | Qualified | 4520 | |
| Qualifying cut this week: 4030 | ||||
| 5:00 | Flavio Cobolli ATA: | Vienna, 2R | 3680 | |
| 6:00 | Daniil Medvedev | Vienna, 1R today | 3660 | |
| 7:00 | Arthur son WHY? | Basel, 2 R | 3475 | |
| 8 o’clock | Francis Tiafoe USA: | Vienna, 1R today | 3,380 | |
| 9:00 | Rafael Jodar ESP: | Basel, 2 R | 3184: | |
| Last place: 9th place: 3184 | ||||
| 10:00 | Alex de Minaur OUT | Vienna, 2R today | 2880 | |
| 11:00 | Novak Djokovic SRB | Basel, 1R today | 2840: | |
| 12:00 | Taylor Fritz USA: | Basel, 1R today | 2695* | |
| 13:00 | Tommy Paul USA: | Vienna, 2R | 2675 | |
*Fritz has 2,695 points in live competition and 2,685 in ATP media records; both give him 2,735 with a win today and 3,185 with the title. The qualifying cut is the overall figure that gives the live table as a guarantee of a place this week. With Sinner out, ninth place is the last place.
Wednesday’s meetings
| Player: | They will be against it | Event | Now | With victory | Then |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex de Minaur | Tien | Vienna, 2R | 2880 | 2930: | 254 with 9th |
| Novak Djokovic | Humbert | Basel, 1 R | 2840: | 2890 | 294 back 9th |
| Taylor Fritz | Hijikata | Basel, 1 R | 2695* | 2735 | 449 with 9th |
| Jakub Mensik | Mannarino | Vienna, 2R | 2500 | 2550 | 634 with 9th |
| Daniil Medvedev | Merida | Vienna, 1 R | 3660 | 3660 | unchanged |
| Francis Tiafoe | Musetti | Vienna, 1 R | 3,380 | 3,380 | unchanged |
* Live Race figure; ATP media records give 2,685. Medvedev and Tiafoe do not earn points after the victory in the first round. only a player’s best results outside of Grand Slams and Masters 1000s count.
De Minaur vs. Hey, Vienna, second round
The first man to qualify with 304 points behind Jodar, de Minaur will reach the quarter-finals with a win of 2,930 points, 254 points behind Jodar. He is 7-0 this season. It’s their first matchup, and Tien is 8-9 against top-10 opponents.
Djokovic vs. Humbert, Basel, first round
Djokovic, who trails by 344 points, will move to 2,890 points with a win. Since the start of 2023, they are 16-2 on the road and have won 32 straight against the French. In the last three matches, Humbert has reached the semi-finals twice in Basel.
Fritz v. Hijikata, Basel, First Circuit
On his 29th birthday, Fritz needs a long week in Basel. a title would take him to 3,185 points and a win today to 2,735. He is 13-3 at the ATP 500 level this season. Hijikata, a lucky break from the injured Stephanos Tsitsipas, has three wins over top-20 players, all this season.
Mensik vs Mannarino, Vienna, second round
Mensik faces the qualifiers leading them 1-0. A win would bring him 2,550 points, the Vienna title 2,950.
Medvedev-Merida, Vienna, first round
A top score of 4,110 points is all Medvedev needs to qualify this week. He is riding a four-game winning streak after Sunday’s title game in Almaty and is 4-0 in his opener in Vienna. Daniel Merida, 22, is 0-3 against top-10 players and is playing his first match at the indoor tour level.
Tiafoe vs Musetti, Vienna, first round
Tiafoe, eighth in the race, is up 196 points. Lorenzo Musetti, who played for Turin last year, made it five straight wins after Lyon won the title on Sunday. Tiafoe leads them 4-3 and is 19-1 in opening rounds this season.
Next week. only the title seals it
Medvedev and Koboli must win the tournament to qualify this week. Behind them, no one can be confident in Turin this week, even with the title. Phils will lead with 3,925 points in Basel and Tiafoe with 3,830 in Vienna, both short of the 4,030 points that the live standings give as a guarantee of qualification.
| Player: | Event | Now | With the title | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flavio Cobolli | Vienna | 3680 | 4130: | It’s a qualification |
| Daniil Medvedev | Vienna | 3660 | 4110 | It’s a qualification |
| Arthur son | Basel | 3475 | 3925 | Inside the cut can’t stick this week |
| Francis Tiafoe | Vienna | 3,380 | 3830 | Inside the cut can’t stick this week |
| Rafael Jodar | Basel | 3184: | 3634 | Inside the cut can’t stick this week |
| Novak Djokovic | Basel | 2840: | 3,340 | Up from 9th place today |
| Alex de Minaur | Vienna | 2880 | 3330 | Up from 9th place today |
| Taylor Fritz | Basel | 2695* | 3185 | Up from 9th place today |
| Tommy Paul | Vienna | 2675 | 3125 | Still below 9th place |
| Jakub Mensik | Vienna | 2500 | 2950 | Still below 9th place |
Maximum amounts from live races. Qualifying cut this week: 4030. Ninth place this morning: Jodar, 3184. * Live Race figure; ATP media records give 2,685.
Behind the cut, this week is all about how far they go. Djokovic, Fritz, Tommy Paul and Mencic will have to go far, if not win the tournament, to really get back into the race. The title would take Djokovic to 3,340 points and de Minaur to 3,330, both higher than Jodar’s current 3,184. Fritz would reach 3,185, one point above that mark, while Paul would stop at 3,125 and Mensik at 2,950.
Only two titles are on offer: Cobolli, Medvedev, Tiafoe, de Minaur, Paul and Mencic are all in Vienna, while Fils, Jodar, Djokovic and Fritz are in Basel.
Still this week
Four contenders will play their second round matches later in the week. Coboli plays Matteo Berettini in Vienna and a win would take him to 3,730 points; Paul is playing Luciano Darderi with 2,725 on offer. In Basel, the Phils play Alex Michelsen (with 3,525 wins) and Jodar with Valentin Vacherotti (3,234).
Sources: PIF ATP Live Race to Turin (live rankings, Wednesday morning); ATP media notes, Erste Bank Open (Vienna) and Swiss Indoors Basel, Day 3; 2026 ATP Rulebook (4.01, 9.03).
