The Week in Preview: Asian swing kicks into gear at Wuhan, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Tashkent

A distant, and perhaps rational, tennis observer might be lulled into believing that the sport slows down after the U.S. Open, which, after all, is the last of the year’s four majors. Those who follow the game more closely know that, when it comes to the schedule, rationality is the last thing we should expect. Instead, the tours pick up speed as they come down the homestretch, and the players’ plane rides get even longer as they shuttle from Europe to Asia and back again.

The WTA is already deep into its season-ending Asian swing, and this week it’s in the middle of a lucrative three-tournament sprint, from Tokyo to Wuhan to Beijing. The ATP, meanwhile, is in the process of heading East. The men begin with two warm-up events this week, in Chengdu and Shenzhen, before the top players gather in Beijing and Shanghai starting next Sunday.

Here’s a look at the week ahead, starting with the new WTA showcase in Wuhan.

Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open (WTA)
*Wuhan, China

$2,589,000; WTA Premier 5

DecoTurf II*
Draw is here

Going back to the long-lost idea of tennis and rational scheduling for a second, you might think the women could use a week off between the traditionally prestigious Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, and the Premier Mandatory event in Beijing that begins next week. But what player can say no to a $2.6 million dollar purse, and whatever guaranteed paydays that come with it? Not many, it seems. That’s what the deep-pocketed officials in Wuhan have to offer, and it was enough to lure most of the Top 20. That includes Angelique Kerber, Garbiñe Muguruza, Agnieszkaa Radwanska, Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova and Venus Williams.

If the tournament is anything like last year, we could end up with a surprise champion, a player who begins a breakout late-season surge, or both. In 2015, an unseeded Venus threaded her way to the title, but it was the woman she beat in the final, Muguruza, who would go on to win in Beijing, go deep at the year-ender in Singapore, and record her first major title in Paris the following spring.

This year, with Serena Williams again not in the draw, all eyes will begin on Kerber. How dominant will the new No. 1 be going forward? Can she replicate her Grand Slam successes on a week-in, week-out basis? We’ll start to get an idea in Asia. Even if Kerber doesn’t live up to expectations, there will be a lot of interesting, and potentially important, match-ups over the course of the week.

Already out: Monica Puig, in straight sets, to Roberta Vinci. If you expected world domination after her run to the Olympic gold medal, you have been disappointed so far.

Chengdu Open (ATP)
*Chengdu, China

$840,915; 250 ranking points

Hard court*
Draw is here

Speaking of rationality in scheduling one more time, hasn’t Dominic Thiem been telling us he’s going to start thinking long-term and not play as many events in the future? That future has obviously been delayed: After losing in the final in Metz, France, on Sunday, Thiem will fly to China, where he has taken a wild card at the 250 in Chengdu. He’ll also be the No. 1 seed, ahead of No. 2 Nick Kyrgios and No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov.

Shenzhen Open (ATP)
*Shenzhen, China

$641,305; 250 ranking points

Plexipave*
Draw is here

Tomas Berdych leads the field here, followed by David Goffin, Richard Gasquet, Bernard Tomic, and Alexander Zverev. The biggest element of suspense is whether the 19-year-old Zverev, after winning his first title in St. Petersburg on Sunday, will follow his friend Thiem to China right away. If he does, he’ll join his older brother, Mischa, in the draw.

Qualifier of note: Ryan Harrison, who will open against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Tashkent Open (WTA)
*Tashkent, Uzbekistan

$250,000; WTA International

Plexipave*
Draw is here

Because no showcase event in tennis should ever enjoy our undiluted attention, the WTA has a second tournament on its schedule this week. With Wuhan monopolizing the big names, Tashkent’s top seed is world No. 58 Kirsten Flipkens.