Recent Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic is returning to defend his title at the St. Petersburg Open, which he won as the second seed last year.
Also returning are Tomas Berdych, who was the first seed at the tournament last year, and home favorite Mikhail Youzhny. Meanwhile, Viktor Troicki will be back at the tournament after a six-year absence.
Raonic and Berdych title contenders
Both finalists at Wimbledon and with career highs of fourth, both Raonic and Berdych will be strong contenders for the title in St. Petersburg when the tournament takes place in September.
Raonic impressed on his way to the title last year, conceding just one set throughout the tournament. The Canadian recorded straight sets wins over Evgeny Donskoy, 5th seed Tommy Robredo and 4th seed Roberto Bautista Agut before battling past 7th seed Joao Sousa in the final, and many will fancy him to take the title once again.
Meanwhile, Berdych will desperately be looking to improve on his result from last year; the Czech was seeded first but fell to Simone Bolelli in straight sets in his opening match.
Troicki and Youzhny look to cause problems
Both Youzhny and Troicki could cause trouble at the tournament, with both capable of pushing strong players.
Troicki, who won the title in Sydney earlier this year, has played at the tournament in the past. However this will be his first appearance since 2010, and the Serbian has never had too much success at the tournament.
Youzhny is no longer the force he used to be, though will certainly get a lot of support from his home crowd and has played well in Russia’s second largest city in the past; he won the title back in 2004 and reached the final in 2010.
