Scouting report: Alex de Minaur leads Rotterdam, Ben Shelton competes in Dallas, Joao Fonseca returns to Buenos Aires | ATP tour | Tennis

Scouting report

Scouting report: De Minaur leads Rotterdam, Shelton competes in Dallas, Fonseca returns to Buenos Aires

A recap of what every fan needs to know in the week ahead

February 8, 2026

The ATP Tour action takes place on three continents this week, with matches in Europe, North America and South America.

Alex de Minaur will headline the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam, while Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz will take the field at the Nexo Dallas Open. Both are ATP 500 hard court events. On clay in South America, Joao Fonseca and Francisco Cerundolo will compete at the IEB+ Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, an ATP 250.

ATPTour.com breaks down five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ROTTERDAM
1) De Minaur leads the field: De Minaur will lead the field at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam. The 26-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals at the Australian Open last month, advanced to the title match at the indoor hard court event in 2024 and 2025. He will open his 2026 title bid against Arthur Fils.

2) Former champion Auger-Aliassime: Felix Auger-Aliassime has good memories of Rotterdam, where he won the title in 2022. The Canadian arrives in the Netherlands fresh after winning the eighth indoor title of his career in Montpellier.

3) Can Bublik maintain good form? Alexander Bublik has been a man on a mission in recent months. The 28-year-old won four titles in the second half of last season and started this year by triumphing in Hong Kong. By winning the trophy at the ATP 250 in January, Bublik climbed into the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time. He faces a tough opening test in Rotterdam, where he will face Hubert Hurkacz.

4) Medvedev and Tsitsipas in action: Daniil Medvedev, winner in Rotterdam in 2023, will try to bounce back from his fourth-round exit at the Australian Open. The 29-year-old is looking for his second trophy of the season after winning against Brisbane. Stefanos Tsitsipas makes his eighth appearance in Rotterdam, where he reached the championship match in 2022.

5) Fils continues his return: Fils made his long-awaited return in Montpellier last week and advanced to the quarter-finals. The Frenchman has been sidelined since the beginning of August due to a back injury. The 21-year-old continues his comeback, starting against top seed De Minaur in Rotterdam.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN DALLAS
1) Shelton is raring to go: Shelton reached his fifth major quarterfinal and third in Melbourne at the Australian Open and will hope to continue that good form in Dallas. The 23-year-old American enjoyed a semi-final appearance at the event in 2024.

2) Fritz is chasing his first title of 2026: Fritz will make his fourth appearance at the ATP 500 event after a fourth round defeat in Melbourne. The 28-year-old is chasing his first title since winning at Eastbourne in June.

3) Can Foki cross the line?: According to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina lost four finals last year. The Spaniard will be hoping to break his title and win the Tour for the first time when he takes court in Dallas. Grigor Dimitrov will also be in action. The Bulgarian secured a first-round victory in Brisbane in January and will look to build up his fitness in Dallas, where he makes his debut.

4) Paul, Ten among the Americans in the draw: 2024 champion Tommy Paul and current Next Gen ATP Finals title winner Learner Tien will fly the American flag alongside Shelton and Paul. Other home players in the draw include Frances Tiafoe, Brandon Nakashima, Alex Michelsen, Sebastian Korda and two-time champion Reilly Opelka.

5) Harrison/Skupski riding high: Fresh off their Australian Open title, Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski will look for more success in Dallas, where Harrison won the trophy with Evan King in 2025. Marcelo Granollers and Horacio Zeballos are the top seeds.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN BUENOS AIRES
1) Defending champion Fonseca returns: Fonseca won his first ATP Tour title last year in Buenos Aires, where he became the youngest South American champion in the ATP Tour era (since 1990). The 19-year-old returns this year as a Top 35 player in the PIF ATP rankings.

2) Can Cerundolo go one step further? Cerundolo lost the final to Fonseca last year, but hopes to lift the trophy this week. The 27-year-old Argentinian also advanced to the title match at the 2021 ATP 250 clay court event.

3) Darderi chases more clay success: Luciano Darderi has won all four of his ATP Tour titles on clay. Can the 23-year-old Italian, champion in Cordoba, Marrakech, Bastad and Umag, maintain his good clay record this week in Buenos Aires?

4) Baez, Berrettini competes: Another home favorite to watch is Sebastian Baez. The 25-year-old Argentinian has won six of his seven tour titles on clay but is yet to triumph at the ATP 250. Matteo Berrettini will make his tournament debut. The Italian has won six trophies on clay but is chasing his first success since July 2024.

5) Singles stars in doubles: Cerundolo and Darderi will also participate in the doubles draw this week. Cerundolo will team up with fellow singles player Francisco Comesana, while Darderi will play with Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni are the top seeds.