The highest-profile tennis event that visits North Carolina each year is in the spotlight once again this week at the Wake Forest University Tennis Complex in Winston-Salem.

The Winston-Salem Open, which first became an event on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) schedule in 2011, started this year’s competition with qualifying contests last Saturday and will continue through its main-draw championship matches in doubles (1:30 p.m.) and singles (4 p.m.) this coming Saturday.

As an ATP 250 event, the Winston-Salem Open typically attracts both highly ranked, experienced men’s players and up-and-coming newcomers from all over the world, and that’s the case again this year, including with the original, 48-player singles field.

“As we celebrate our 15th anniversary, we’re excited to welcome another outstanding field of players to Winston-Salem,” tournament director Jeff Ryan said. “This year’s entry list features an enticing mix of former champions, rising stars and fan favorites that will make for an incredible week of tennis.”

The truly global nature of the Winston-Salem Open (and the ATP Tour) is reflected by its impressive list of former champions (see below), eight of whom either ranked in the top 10 of the world rankings at the time of their victory or reached that top-10 status later in their career.

Starting with 6-foot-10 local legend John Isner, the greatest professional tennis player ever born and raised in North Carolina, Winston-Salem Open winners have represented 12 different countries. In addition to the United States, the event’s singles champions have come from Argentina, Austria, Belarus, Czechia, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, South Africa and Spain.

Isner, born in Greensboro, won the first two Winston-Salem Opens, in 2011 and 2012. He had starred at Greensboro Page High School and collegiately for the Georgia Bulldogs before going on to earn more than $22 million in prize money on the professional circuit.

This year’s top seed in Winston-Salem is 30-year-old Russian star Daniil Medvedev (pictured above), who spent 16 weeks as the world’s top-ranked player in 2022. Medvedev, who captured the Winston-Salem Open title in 2018, when he was just 22, won two ATP events earlier this year and ranks 10th on the tour’s 2026 money list, at nearly $3 million.

Many players are using their stop in Winston-Salem as an opportunity to gain momentum for the U.S. Open, a Grand Slam event whose main draw begins Sunday.

In addition to Medvedev, 28-year-old Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas — the #7 seed in Winston-Salem — will head directly to Flushing Meadows, N.Y., for next week’s hard-court major tournament. Tsitsipas will compete in the Round of 16 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex on Wednesday.

In a fascinating second-round matchup in Winston-Salem on Tuesday, #4 seed Arthur Fery battled rising star Cruz Hewitt. Fery, a 24-year-old from England, had a breakout semifinal run at Wimbledon earlier this summer and is now ranked a career-high #36 in the world. Hewitt, a 17-year-old making just his second ATP Tour appearance, is a son of legendary Australian tennis star Lleyton Hewitt.

Wake Forest stars Luca Pow, Mees Rottgering and DK Suresh also have been a part of this year’s event. Pow lost during qualifying, but Rottgering and Suresh were still alive into Tuesday’s second round.

Once again this year, the Tennis Channel is providing daily coverage of the Winston-Salem Open. Ticket information for the event is available HERE, and its updated singles bracket can be found HERE.

WINSTON-SALEM OPEN WINNERS

Year—Winner, Country (Highest Career Singles Ranking)

2025—Marton Fucsovics, Hungary (31)
2024—Lorenzo Sonego, Italy (21)
2023—Sebastian Baez, Argentina (18)
2022—Adrian Mannarino, France (17)
2021—Ilya Ivashka, Belarus (40)
2020—no tournament (COVID)
2019—Hubert Hurkacz, Poland (6)
2018—Daniil Medvedev, Russia (1)
2017—Roberto Bautista Agut, Spain (9)
2016—Pablo Carreno Busta, Spain (10)
2015—Kevin Anderson, South Africa (5)
2014—Lukas Rosol, Czechia (26)
2013—Jurgen Melzer, Austria (8)
2012—John Isner, United States (8)
2011—John Isner, United States (8)