Race to Turin: Six contenders in action on Wednesday as de Minaur and Djokovic chase the cut
Alex de Minaur can close to within 254 points of the Race to Turin cut by beating Learner Tien in Vienna on Wednesday, as Novak Djokovic opens against Ugo Humbert in Basel. Only the Vienna title can send Daniil Medvedev or Flavio Cobolli to Turin this week.
Frances Tiafoe, 2026 | © PsNewz
Six men chasing a seat in Turin walk on court on Wednesday, and they are not all playing for the same thing. Alex de Minaur, first in line outside the cut, can close to within 254 points of Rafael Jodar by beating Learner Tien in Vienna. In Basel, Novak Djokovic opens against Ugo Humbert 344 points behind the cut, and Taylor Fritz, on his 29th birthday, faces Rinky Hijikata.
Daniil Medvedev and Frances Tiafoe, both inside the cut, play in Vienna with nothing to gain in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin from a first-round win. Outside the Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events, only a player’s best results count, and the 50 points for reaching the second round would not improve either man’s, so Medvedev cannot pass Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday. Jakub Mensik completes the day against Adrian Mannarino.
Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals (Nov. 15-22). Jannik Sinner, second in the Race, is out for the rest of the season, and under ATP rules his place passes to the next man on the selection list. That leaves five places in play. As things stand they belong to Cobolli (3,680), Medvedev (3,660), Arthur Fils (3,475), Tiafoe (3,380) and Jodar (3,184). This year’s Grand Slam titles went to Zverev, Alcaraz and Sinner, so no major champion from outside the top seven can claim a place ahead of the Race order.
| # | Player | This week | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Zverev GER | Qualified |
|
9,190 |
| 2 | Jannik Sinner ITA | Out for the season | 7,950 | |
| 3 | Carlos Alcaraz ESP | Qualified |
|
4,650 |
| 4 | Ben Shelton USA | Qualified |
|
4,520 |
| Qualification cut this week: 4,030 | ||||
| 5 | Flavio Cobolli ITA | Vienna, 2R |
|
3,680 |
| 6 | Daniil Medvedev | Vienna, 1R today |
|
3,660 |
| 7 | Arthur Fils FRA | Basel, 2R |
|
3,475 |
| 8 | Frances Tiafoe USA | Vienna, 1R today |
|
3,380 |
| 9 | Rafael Jodar ESP | Basel, 2R |
|
3,184 |
| Last place in: 9th place, 3,184 | ||||
| 10 | Alex de Minaur AUS | Vienna, 2R today |
|
2,880 |
| 11 | Novak Djokovic SRB | Basel, 1R today |
|
2,840 |
| 12 | Taylor Fritz USA | Basel, 1R today |
|
2,695* |
| 13 | Tommy Paul USA | Vienna, 2R |
|
2,675 |
*Fritz has 2,695 points in the live Race and 2,685 in the ATP media notes; both give him 2,735 with a win today and 3,185 with the title. The qualification cut is the total the live standings give as a guarantee of a place this week. With Sinner out, ninth place is the last place in.
Wednesday’s matches
| Player | Opponent | Event | Now | With a win | Then |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex de Minaur | Tien | Vienna, 2R | 2,880 | 2,930 | 254 behind 9th |
| Novak Djokovic | Humbert | Basel, 1R | 2,840 | 2,890 | 294 behind 9th |
| Taylor Fritz | Hijikata | Basel, 1R | 2,695* | 2,735 | 449 behind 9th |
| Jakub Mensik | Mannarino | Vienna, 2R | 2,500 | 2,550 | 634 behind 9th |
| Daniil Medvedev | Merida | Vienna, 1R | 3,660 | 3,660 | unchanged |
| Frances Tiafoe | Musetti | Vienna, 1R | 3,380 | 3,380 | unchanged |
*Live Race figure; the ATP media notes give 2,685. Medvedev and Tiafoe gain no Race points from a first-round win: only a player’s best results outside the Grand Slams and Masters 1000s count.
De Minaur vs. Tien, Vienna, second round
First man outside the cut, 304 points behind Jodar, de Minaur would reach the quarterfinals and 2,930 points with a win, 254 behind Jodar. He is 7-0 indoors this season. It is their first meeting, and Tien is 8-9 against top-10 opponents.
Djokovic vs. Humbert, Basel, first round
Djokovic, 344 points behind the cut, would move to 2,890 with a win. He is 16-2 indoors since the start of 2023 and has won 32 straight matches against Frenchmen. Humbert has reached the semifinals in Basel twice in the last three editions.
Fritz vs. Hijikata, Basel, first round
On his 29th birthday, Fritz needs a long week in Basel: the title would take him to 3,185 points, and a win today to 2,735. He is 13-3 at ATP 500 level this season. Hijikata, a lucky loser in for the injured Stefanos Tsitsipas, has three wins over top-20 players, all of them this season.
Mensik vs. Mannarino, Vienna, second round
Mensik faces a qualifier who leads their head-to-head 1-0. A win would take him to 2,550 points, the Vienna title to 2,950.
Medvedev vs. Merida, Vienna, first round
The title, worth a maximum of 4,110 points, is what Medvedev needs to qualify this week. He arrives on a four-match winning streak after Sunday’s Almaty title and is 4-0 in Vienna openers. Daniel Merida, 22, is 0-3 against top-10 players and plays his first indoor tour-level match.
Tiafoe vs. Musetti, Vienna, first round
Eighth in the Race, Tiafoe sits 196 points above the cut. Lorenzo Musetti, who played in Turin last year, has won five straight matches since winning the Lyon title on Sunday. Tiafoe leads their head-to-head 4-3 and is 19-1 in opening rounds this season.
The week ahead: only a title seals it
Medvedev and Cobolli need to win the tournament to qualify this week. Behind them, no one else can make sure of Turin this week, even with a title: Fils would top out at 3,925 points in Basel and Tiafoe at 3,830 in Vienna, both short of the 4,030 the live standings give as a guarantee of qualification.
| Player | Event | Now | With the title | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flavio Cobolli | Vienna | 3,680 | 4,130 | Qualifies |
| Daniil Medvedev | Vienna | 3,660 | 4,110 | Qualifies |
| Arthur Fils | Basel | 3,475 | 3,925 | Inside the cut, cannot clinch this week |
| Frances Tiafoe | Vienna | 3,380 | 3,830 | Inside the cut, cannot clinch this week |
| Rafael Jodar | Basel | 3,184 | 3,634 | Inside the cut, cannot clinch this week |
| Novak Djokovic | Basel | 2,840 | 3,340 | Above 9th place today |
| Alex de Minaur | Vienna | 2,880 | 3,330 | Above 9th place today |
| Taylor Fritz | Basel | 2,695* | 3,185 | Above 9th place today |
| Tommy Paul | Vienna | 2,675 | 3,125 | Still below 9th place |
| Jakub Mensik | Vienna | 2,500 | 2,950 | Still below 9th place |
Maximum totals from the live Race. Qualification cut this week: 4,030. Ninth place this morning: Jodar, 3,184. *Live Race figure; the ATP media notes give 2,685.
Behind the cut, this week is about how far they go. Djokovic, Fritz, Tommy Paul and Mensik need to go far, if not win the tournament, to really get back in the race. A title would take Djokovic to 3,340 points and de Minaur to 3,330, both above 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 Mensik are all in Vienna, while Fils, Jodar, Djokovic and Fritz are in Basel.
Still to come this week
Four contenders play their second-round matches later in the week. In Vienna, Cobolli plays Matteo Berrettini, and a win would take him to 3,730 points; Paul plays Luciano Darderi with 2,725 on offer. In Basel, Fils plays Alex Michelsen (3,525 with a win) and Jodar plays Valentin Vacherot (3,234).
Sources: PIF ATP Live Race to Turin (live ranking, Wednesday morning); ATP media notes, Erste Bank Open (Vienna) and Swiss Indoors Basel, Day 3; 2026 ATP Rulebook (4.01, 9.03).
