Elena Rybakina hopes to stay hot; Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton lead draws in Adelaide and Auckland

The first week of a new season is a mad scramble, as everyone tries to get their reps in before the Australian Open. But things typically slow up considerably in the second week, as most of the major-title contenders hunker down with their practice teams in Melbourne. 

But this is tennis, where the show goes on every single day. This week it will go at four tournaments in Adelaide, Auckland and Hobart. The WTA’s Adelaide event is the second 500 in as many weeks, and the draw is about as strong as any you’ll see the week before a Slam.

Adelaide International (WTA)

• Adelaide, Australia
• $922,573; WTA 500
• Hard court
• Draw is here

Elena Rybakina, despite being sick to start the year, may have been the most in-form player on either tour last week. She drilled her serves, her returns, her forehands, and her backhands with maximum power and efficiency; dropped just 15 games in five matches; and won a set over Aryna Sabalenka in 20 minutes. Can she do it again? Better yet: Does she want to do it again, with Melbourne starting two days after this tournament ends?

Joining Rybakina will be fellow Top 10 players Jessica Pegula and Marketa Vondrousova, along with Barbora Krejcikova, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Jelena Ostapenko.

First-round match to watch: Ostapenko vs. Sorana Cirstea

Will card: Paula Badosa, who will start against Bernarda Pera

Adelaide International (ATP)

• Adelaide, Australia
• $739,945; ATP 250
• Hard court
• Draw is here

Tommy Paul takes a rare turn as the No. 1 seed on the men’s side in Adelaide. The American always looks laid-back, but he may be feeling some pressure as the Australian Open nears. He’s defending a semifinal run from 2023 in Melbourne.

Something similar could be said of Paul’s countryman and No. 3 seed Sebastian Korda, who won a title in Adelaide and made the quarters at the Australian Open last year.

ASB Classic (ATP)

• Auckland, New Zealand
• $739,945; ATP 250
• Hard court
• Draw is here

Like his buddy Tommy Paul, young Ben Shelton rises to the top of the seed list in Auckland. And like Paul and Korda, Shelton is staring at a tough point defense next week in Melbourne, where he made the quarterfinals a year ago.

Also here: Cam Norrie, Francisco Cerundolo, Felix Auger Aliassime, Chris Eubanks, Arthur Fils, Denis Shapovalov. That’s not a bad field for a 250. Of particular interest may be Auger Aliassime. The Canadian has made an Australian Open semifinal, and is looking to bounce back from a forgettable 2023.

Potential second-round match to watch: Shelton vs. Gael Monfils

Hobart International (WTA)

• Hobart, Australia
• $257,082; WTA 250
• Hard court
• Draw is here

Rounding out the week is the WTA 250 in Hobart, where Elise Mertens is the top seed, and Emma Navarro of the U.S. is No. 2. Is the 22-year-old Navarro, who made the semifinals in Auckland this past week, another American to watch in 2024? She’s up to a career-high 31.

First-round match to watch: Mertens vs. Danielle Collins