Andreas Seppi is easily the man to beat at this week's Bergamo Challenger.
Seppi is comfortably the highest ranked player in the field. The world number 50 should really be sticking to main tour events but he regularly drops down a level to play his home town event in Bergamo. Seppi will also be hoping a good run helps him build confidence after an unspectacular start to 2011, with a 2-2 win-loss record so far.
On paper Seppi should cruise to the title but the higher ranked players often do not find it quite so straightforward in the dog-eat-dog atmosphere of the challenger circuit.
There are plenty of former top players fallen on hard times in the field. Simone Bolelli was ranked 36 two years ago but the Italian currently languishes outside the top 100.
Gilles Muller reached the US Open quarter-finals three years ago but the big serving left-hander has struggled with injuries and consistency. However he should be a big threat on the fast indoor hard courts.
It will be fascinating to see how Joachim Johansson progresses. One of the unluckiest players (injury-wise) on tour, the Swede looked like a new star in the making when he blasted his way into the top ten in 2005 but he's never been able to maintain a clean bill of health.
Former French Open semi-finalist Dominik Hrbaty remains reluctant to hang up his ranking at the age of 33. With a current ranking of 459 he had to rely on a wildcard but could still do some damage in the draw.
