The Asian swing will begin this week without two of its defending champions. Kei Nishikori (Kuala Lumpur) and Andy Murray (Shenzhen) lost earlier than expected at the U.S. Open before suiting up for Davis Cup duty, so they are still taking a break prior to their fall campaigns. Nonetheless, there is some star power at each event. David Ferrer and Grigor Dimitrov are among those on hand in Kuala Lumpur, while Tomas Berdych and Marin Cilic are leading the way in Shenzhen.

Malaysian Open

Where: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize Money: $937,835
Points: 250

Top seed: David Ferrer
2014 champion: Kei Nishikori (not playing)

Draw analysis: This is a good opportunity for Ferrer to get some more matches under his belt as he approaches the more important closing stretch featuring two Masters 1000 events (Shanghai and Paris) and the World Tour…