The Final Stop Before the US Open – The ATP 250 Winston-Salem Open kicks off today and runs through August 23 on the hard courts of Wake Forest University in North Carolina. With total prize money exceeding $775,000, the champion will earn 250 ranking points and $109,640 in prize money. It's a great opportunity for the players from the second row of the world's top to get some momentum before the Grand Slam action starts on Flushing Meadows.

Tsitsipas Seeks Revival 

Stefanos Tsitsipas leads the field as top seed in what marks a crucial moment in his season. Beginning the year outside the Top 10 of ATP Rakings for the first time in six years, the Greek star has endured a turbulent 2025. Currently ranked 29th, Tsitsipas has managed just a 20-15 record this year with his sole title coming in Dubai. The season was just poor from then for the former ATP FInals champion, as he not managed to win two consecutive matches since Barcelona in April. This will be the 12x ATP champion's debut appearance in Winston-Salem, and it comes at an interesting time. After a controversial Wimbledon retirement due to back injury, Tsitsipas has reunited with his father Apostolos as coach following a brief partnership with Goran Ivanisevic.

Defending Champion Returns 

Lorenzo Sonego (5) returns to defend his title after dominating Alex Michelsen 6-0, 6-3 in last year's final. The Italian has became just the 11th active player to have won a title on outdoor hard, indoor hard, clay and grass. Although he is capable of deep runs, his form on hard courts since last year was very fluctuant. He managed to move into 4th round in Australian Open, but apart from there, he faced hefty amount of first round exits, including 4 in a row since grabbing the title in Winston Salem last year. Sonego will start with a bye and face either Stefan Dostanic or a qualifier in the second round.

The European Contingent 

Tallon Griekspoor (2) and Luciano Darderi (3) round out the top seeds. Griekspoor triumphed on grass in Mallorca this year but aims to snap a three-match tour-level losing streak. Meanwhile, Darderi has won three titles in 2025 - in Marrakech, Bastad and Umag - but all have come on clay. He is one of Italians who excel on clay, but has abysmal record on hard courts this year, winning just one out of 7 matches played on this surface that season. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (9) brings intrigue with his massive serve. At the 2025 Wimbledon Championships he broke the tournament record with a 153-mile-per-hour serve, though he's struggled recently with a five-match losing streak. 

American Hopes 

The home crowd will pin their hopes on several Americans in the draw. Sebastian Korda (11) returns to action after being absent since Roland Garros, looking to climb back from his current ranking of 45th. Marcos Giron (16) received a wild card and could face Tsitsipas in the second round if he wins his opener.

Former Champions Eye Return to Glory 

Sebastian Baez, Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Carreno Busta will all try to reclaim the trophy in Winston-Salem. Bautista Agut is particularly noteworthy as he returns for the first time since winning the title in 2017.

Dark Horse Watch 

Gabriel Diallo (4) from Canada has been impressive this year, winning his first title in 's-Hertogenbosch and reaching a career-high ranking of 35th. The young Canadian could be dangerous if he finds his rhythm. He was able to play some kind of competitive match against Jannik Sinner this week in Cincinnati and his runs in two recent ATP 1000 events ended up on facing absolute top tier players. Will be interesting to see how he manages in some sort of more formidable field.

Data analysis preview 

Here is the statistical breakdown of top 10 players from each of the main draw halves prior to the tournament in Winston Salem.