STARNBERG, September 16, 2019

Three-time champion Gilles Simon is one of three seeded Frenchmen competing at the Moselle Open, an ATP 250 tournament, in Metz.

The 34-year-old Simon, who defeated Germany’s Matthias Bachinger in the 2018 final, is joined by third seed Benoit Paire and fourth seed Lucas Pouille, the 2016 winner. French players account for eight of the 10 most recent champions in Metz.

One of two foreign players to lift the trophy since 2009 is David Goffin. The 2014 winner returns to Metz for the first time since 2017 as the top seed. Second seed Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia is joined in the bottom half of the draw by former champions Peter Gojowczyk (2017) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2011-12, ’15), who, along with Simon, is going for his fourth Metz crown.

Medvedev leads St. Petersburg line-up

Top seeds Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov will aim to become the first home champion at the St. Petersburg Open since Mikhail Youzhny in 2004.

World No. 4 Medvedev, who returns to action for the first time since reaching his maiden major final at the US Open, is aiming to reach his fifth final in as many events after a stellar North American hard-court swing. Khachanov will try to reach his first title match of 2019.

US Open semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini of Italy, 2016 runner-up Stan Wawrinka and fourth seed Borna Coric also feature at the ATP 250 event, which began in 1995 when home favourite Yevgeny Kafelnikov lifted the trophy.