Week in Preview: Sabalenka, Fritz lead the tour’s pivot to clay as four tournaments begin in three continents 

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With the change in seasons comes a change in surfaces in tennis. Just 24 hours after the last ball was struck on hard courts in Miami, the first points of the clay season will be contested in Charleston, Houston, Marrakech, and Bogota. Let the six-week road to Roland Garros begin.

Here’s a look at the four draws that will kick it off.

Credit One Charleston Open (WTA)

• Charleston, S.C.
• $888,636; WTA 500
• Green clay
• Draw is here

A new year brings a new title sponsor in Charleston. Credit One will take over for Volvo, which took over from Family Circle in 2016. Otherwise, the tournament will surely retain the easygoing, small-city vibe that it has enjoyed since it began in 1973.

Charleston lost its top seed when Iga Swiatek, not surprisingly, pulled out after completing the Sunshine Double in Miami. But there are no shortage of top women who want to get some early sliding in at this 500-level event. Aryna Sabalenka, who could use a win or three, is the top seed. Paula Badosa, who likely has a Roland Garros title in her sights, is the second seed. From there, Karolina Pliskova, Ons Jabeur, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Leylah Fernandez, defending champion Veronika Kudermetova, Madison Keys, and Belinda Bencic round out the Top 10.

Charleston has a history of foreshadowing bigger things down the road for its champions. Who might get a good run started this time around?

First-round matches to watch:

• Shelby Rogers vs. Kaia Kanepi
• Ana Konjuh vs. Linda Fruhvirtova

Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship (ATP)

• Houston, T.X.
• $665,330; ATP 250
• Red clay
• Draw is here

The U.S. Clay Courts has been especially unlucky during the pandemic; the tournament was cancelled not once, but twice. Now, roughly a thousand days after Cristian Garin beat Casper Ruud in the 2019 final, players will return to the River Oaks Country Club, one of the last great traditional tennis venues in the States.

Ruud, however, won’t be among them. Like Charleston, Houston has lost its top seed due to his good play in Miami, though the reason he gave for pulling out of the event was original: Ruud says he’s suffering from wisdom tooth pain. He also, presumably, could use a week off before he plays a more important clay-court event in Monte Carlo.

The Norwegian's absence makes this U.S. event even more American-centric than it was. Taylor Fritz is the highest seed, followed by Reilly Opelka, John Isner, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, and Jenson Brooksby. The only non-American seed is Garin, the defending champion. Now that the U.S. men are rising in the rankings, Houston’s status will rise with them.

First-round matches to watch:

• Nick Kyrgios vs. Mackenzie McDonald
• Jenson Brooksby vs. J.J. Wolf
• Cristian Garin vs. Jack Sock

Grand Prix Hassan II (ATP)

• Marrakech, Morocco
• $750,000; ATP 250
• Red clay
• Draw is here

Felix Auger-Aliassime leads the field as the first seed in Marrakech. While this is just a 250, and just the start of a long clay season, it feels like FAA could use a few wins. The Canadian lost his opening-round matches in Indian Wells and Miami, and had to watch from the sidelines as a few players his age, like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, and Miomir Kecmanovic, had breakthrough performances and inched closer to him in the rankings.

Copa Colsanitas presented by Zurich (WTA)

• Bogota, Colombia
• $239,477; WTA 250
• Red clay
• Draw is here

Colombia’s Camila Osorio, the defending champion, is the top seed and the biggest draw at her home-country event. The 20-year-old reached the final in Monterrey last month. Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia, who upset Maria Sakkari in Miami last week, is the second seed.

Also here: Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska and England’s Harriet Dart, who made the round of 16 in Indian Wells.