Casper Ruud used all of his mental toughness to pick up his maiden win at the Next Gen ATP Finals on Wednesday, weathering several momentum shifts in his match with Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to prevail 3-4(2), 4-3(2), 4-2, 3-4(2), 4-1.

“It was a lot of ups and downs and also the first five-set match that I’ve won,” Ruud said. “It can only be a couple of points from winning or losing. [Davidovich Fokina] is a really strong fighter and it was a very good match.”

Their clash at the Allianz Cloud featured several milestone moments. The Norwegian’s victory is the first five-setter of this year’s event and had more games (32) than any match in tournament history. Ruud also utilised the first-ever video review in the opening game of the match.

Ruud has enjoyed a breakout season that has seen him climb more than 50 spots in the ATP Rankings, recording his first ATP Tour final in Houston (l. to Garin) alongside a pair of semi-finals in Sao Paulo and Kitzbühel. He moves to 1-1 in Group A, while Davidovich Fokina drops to 0-2.

Read More: Coaches’ Corner: Christian Ruud

The Norwegian’s historic video review took place at 30-30 in the opening game. The umpire stopped the point and declared that Ruud’s lob touched the bottom of the jumbo screen. Ruud challenged the call, but the review showed that the call was correct.

Both players traded a pair of service holds to begin the opening set. Davidovich Fokina came alive in the tie-break, ripping a forehand return winner on the first point and following it up with a backhand winner at 3/1 for a double mini-break advantage. He closed out the set after Ruud sent a forehand wide.

Little separated Ruud and Davidovich Fokina in the second set and they went to another tie-break. But the Spaniard’s flashy shotmaking ultimately betrayed him as he hit a wild forehand error and missed a pair of volleys to allow the Norwegian to level the match.

With Davidovich Fokina serving at 0-1, 0/15, he fell attempting to hit a forehand and his right knee buckled as he collapsed to the ground in pain. He soldiered on after a lengthy medical timeout, but his movement appeared restricted and Ruud coasted through the remainder of the set.

Read More: Ruud: ‘This Is The Week We’ve All Been Waiting For’

The Spaniard’s movement, however, improved dramatically in the fourth set. He stayed with Ruud in the baseline exchanges and earned a break at 1-1, roaring in delight as he motioned for the crowd to get out of their seats. Davidovich Fokina couldn’t convert a set point at 3-2 and pushed a backhand volley long, but regrouped in the tie-break. Any questions about the state of his knee were answered after he leapt into a forehand winner on set point at 6/2.

But the dramatics of the match finally caught up with Davidovich Fokina, and he appeared to tire in the closing stages. Ruud, who had remained calm throughout the clash, still had plenty of energy. The Norwegian raced through the deciding set and a backhand error from Davidovich Fokina wrapped up play after two hours and 17 minutes. Ruud finished with 28 winners to 19 errors.

Two battles of unbeatens will highlight day two of the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan on Wednesday.

In the afternoon session, top seed Alex de Minaur of Australia will meet Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic, the fifth seed, as both players look to move to 2-0 at the award-winning 21-and-under tournament.

De Minaur will try to improve to 5-0 in group matches in Milan, after going 3-0 last year and beating seventh seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain 4-2, 3-4(5), 4-1, 4-1 in Group A on day one.

“Obviously it’s my second time around with these different rules. Going in, I knew it was going to be a tough match, especially with these conditions, anything can happen. The match can turn at any moment,” De Minaur said.

The Aussie, who has won three ATP Tour titles this season (Sydney, Atlanta, Zhuhai), has never faced Kecmanovic, who reached his first ATP Tour final in Antalya in June and advanced in straight sets against Norway’s Casper Ruud on Tuesday.

“I think I like it. I think I thrive in it very well,” Kecmanovic said of the shorter scoring format in Milan.

Wednesday’s opener features Ruud against Davidovich Fokina as both players will look to get on the board and give their semi-final hopes a jolt. De Minaur can qualify if he beats Kecmanovic and Davidovich Fokina overcomes Ruud.

To end the evening session, sixth seed Mikael Ymer of Sweden will face eighth seed and wild card Italy’s Jannik Sinner to see who will move to 2-0. Both players pulled off inspiring upsets on Tuesday.

More From Day One In Milan
Sinner Brings The Energy In Tiafoe Upset
Ymer Maintains Top Form
De Minaur Battles Past Davidovich Fokina
Kecmanovic Serves Up Victory In Milan

Ymer dominated third seed Ugo Humbert of France 4-3(2), 1-4, 4-2, 4-1 in Group B. Since 23 September, the Swede has climbed 31 spots in the ATP Rankings, from No. 105 to No. 74.

Sinner, behind a boisterous Milan crowd, overcame a hot start from second seed Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. to win 3-4(4), 4-2, 4-2, 4-2. Sinner started the season at No. 551 in the ATP Rankings. He enters Milan at No. 95, a climb of 456 spots.

Tiafoe, who is making his second Milan showing, and Humbert will kick off the evening session.

SCHEDULE – WEDNESDAY 6 NOVEMBER 2019
ALLIANZ CLOUD COURT start 2:00 pm
[4] C. Ruud (NOR) vs [7] A. Davidovich Fokina (ESP)

Not Before 3:00 pm
[1] A. de Minaur (AUS) vs [5] M. Kecmanovic (SRB)

Not Before 7:30 pm
[2] F. Tiafoe (USA) vs [3] U. Humbert (FRA)
[6] M. Ymer (SWE) vs [8] [WC] J. Sinner (ITA)

Jannik Sinner is the youngest player competing in this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals, but he handled the biggest moments of his match against Frances Tiafoe with the comfort of a seasoned veteran. The 18-year-old Italian delighted the home crowd in Milan with a 3-4(4), 4-2, 4-2 4-2 win against the second seed on Tuesday in Group B action.

The teen improved to 2-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Tiafoe, having also defeated the American last month at the European Open in Antwerp. Sinner’s maiden win at this event, the first for an Italian player, is yet another milestone moment in the his breakout season.

Sinner opened the year at No. 551 in the ATP Rankings, but he is now the youngest player inside the Top 100. His highlights include a maiden ATP Tour semi-final in Antwerp, first ATP Masters 1000 main draw win in at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and a pair of ATP Challenger Tour titles.

More to follow…

First serves are all about dropping heat and hitting spots, and there is no better return on investment for the Top 10 than going down the T in the Deuce Court.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 uncovers who thrives the most at which first-serve location, and where the highest win percentages are located.

The six serve locations are wide, body and T in both the Deuce Court and Ad Court, with the data set coming from ATP Masters 1000 events, Nitto ATP Finals and Next Gen ATP Finals from 2011 to 2019.

The breakdown starts with the highest average win percentage location (Deuce Court T) and finishes with the lowest (Ad Court Body). It’s interesting to note that Roger Federer was the only player to feature in the top three at all six serve locations.

No. 1: Deuce Court T (Average Win % = 76.9%)
Only three players were able win north of 80 per cent at any of the six locations. Matteo Berrettini, who was ranked outside the Top 50 to begin 2019, boasts a new career-high ATP Ranking this week of No. 8, and out of all six serve locations, Berrettini had the highest win percentage at 82.5 per cent. He did it by going down the T in the Deuce Court.

Berrettini averaged hitting his first serve at 133 mph to this location, accumulating 82 aces and 83 unreturned serves.

The leading three players at this location:
M. Berrettini = 82.5%
R. Federer = 81.1%
S. Tsitsipas = 81.0%

No. 2: Ad Court Wide (Average Win % = 75.6%)
Russian sensation Daniil Medvedev led the Top 10 with winning first-serve points out wide in the Ad court, at 79.4 per cent.

He averages 123 mph with his first serve to this location, hitting 150 aces and having 168 first serves unreturned. Medvedev sits at his career-high ATP Ranking of No. 4, with four titles under his belt this season, including Masters 1000 crowns in Cincinnati and Shanghai.

The leading three players at this location:
D. Medvedev = 79.4%
R. Federer = 78.9%
S. Tsitsipas = 78.6%

No. 3: Deuce Court Wide (Average Win % = 75.3%)
Austrian Dominic Thiem is the leader with the wide slider in the Deuce Court, winning 78.4 per cent of first-serve points.

Thiem’s average first-serve speed to this location is 113 mph, which is considerably slower than the 121 mph he averages going down the T in the Deuce Court. This identifies that slice becomes more of a factor with the wide serve, carving the ball away from the returner.

The leading three players at this location:
D. Thiem = 78.4%
M. Berrettini = 77.3%
R. Federer = 77.2%

No. 4: Ad Court T (Average Win % = 73%)
Federer and Berrettini tied for the lead at this location, with both players winning 75.1 per cent of their first serves. Federer’s average first-serve speed is 117 mph, while Berrettini is considerably higher at 128 mph.

The leading three players at this location:
T1. R. Federer = 75.1%
T1. M. Berrettini = 75.1%
3. S. Tsitsipas = 75.0%

No. 5: Deuce Court Body (Average Win % = 65.4%)
It’s interesting to note that Thiem led the Top 10 with the wide and body serves in the Deuce court, two locations that are that side by side.

The leading three players at this location:
D. Thiem = 70.3%
R. Federer = 69.8%
R. Nadal = 66.3%

No. 6: Ad Court Body (Average Win % = 62.8%)
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic leads this category with a considerable 2.2 percentage-point lead over his nearest rival, winning 68.5 per cent of first serves at the body in the Ad Court.

Djokovic averages 116 mph to this location, which is faster than the 114 mph he averages going out wide and equal with when he goes down the T in the Ad court.

The leading three players at this location:
N. Djokovic = 68.5%
R. Federer = 66.3%
R. Nadal = 65.4%

Current Top 10: First Serve Win Percentage At All Six Serve Locations
(Bold = leader)

Mikael Ymer continued his indoor success this season at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, scoring a 4-3(2), 1-4, 4-2, 4-1 victory over Frenchman Ugo Humbert on Tuesday in Group B.

“It was a lot of fun,” Ymer said. “I saw how big the arena is and was a little bit nervous before going out there, but I felt good from the start. I managed to stay in the rallies and get the early break, so there were a lot of positive things.”

The 21-year-old Swede has excelled on the ATP Challenger Tour with four titles this year, but earned his two biggest Challenger crowns at back-to-back indoor events in Orleans and Mouillleron le Captif. Ymer arrived in Milan at No. 74 in the ATP Rankings, just one spot away his career-high standing that he reached last month.

Tuesday’s schedule concludes with another Group B match as second-seeded American Frances Tiafoe takes on Italian Jannik Sinner.

More to follow…

The doubles groups are set for the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals, with top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah leading the way in hopes of capturing their first title at the season finale.

Cabal and Farah, who have already clinched the year-end No. 1 ATP Doubles Team Ranking and have a 5-2 record in tour-level finals in 2019, lead Group Max Mirnyi, which begins on 11 November. The Colombians made their debut at The O2 last season, advancing to the semi-finals as the second seeds. They are back in London looking to go two steps further.

Also in their group are third seeds Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, the Roland Garros champions who are making their Nitto ATP Finals debut, and sixth seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau have plenty of experience at this event. They triumphed in 2015 and are making their fourth team appearance.

Rounding out Group Max Mirnyi are Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, who completed their Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open. They carry momentum into the event after triumphing at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, the second seeds, headline Group Jonas Bjorkman, which begins play on 10 November. Last season’s year-end No.1 Doubles Team will try to raise the Nitto ATP Finals trophy for the first time.

They are joined by two first-time team qualifiers and one returning pair. The fourth seeds are Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, who came together as a team to start 2019. Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus, the fifth seeds, are making their second straight appearance.

An interesting wrinkle is that Klaasen and Ram made the final in 2016 as a team, and they also played in 2017 as alternates. The last team in the group is eighth seeds Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek. The duo first partnered in June, but titles in Cincinnati and Beijing helped propel them to London.

Henri Kontinen and John Peers, winners of the Nitto ATP Finals titles in 2016 and 2017, will serve as first doubles alternates at the season finale. Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin are the second doubles alternates.

Max Mirnyi and Jonas Bjorkman won the 2006 season finale doubles title in Shanghai. Additionally, Mirnyi lifted the 2011 trophy with Daniel Nestor at The O2 in London, while Bjorkman partnered fellow Swede Jan Apell to the 1994 crown in Jakarta.

Top-seeded Aussie Alex de Minaur held off a determined Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Tuesday at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, winning eight of the last nine games to prevail 4-2, 3-4(5), 4-1, 4-1 in Group A

De Minaur arrived in Milan at a career-high No. 18 in the ATP Rankings. The 20-year-old used the momentum from his runner-up finish at last year’s event (l. To Tsitsipas) to create a breakout season that includes his first three ATP Tour titles at the Sydney International (d. Seppi), BB&T Atlanta Open (d. Fritz) and Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships (d. Mannarino). He further proved his mettle indoors by reaching the final two weeks ago at the Swiss Indoors Basel. (l. to Federer).

The Aussie joined Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic as the winners from Group A in Tuesday’s day session. Action in Group B kicks off in the night session, with Swede Mikael Ymer taking on Frenchman Ugo Humbert and second-seeded American Frances Tiafoe squaring off with Italian Jannik Sinner.

More to follow…

Frances Tiafoe can confidently call his third season on the ATP Tour a learning experience, both on and off the court.

In between the lines, he has experienced some of his best moments, making the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and the Miami Open presented by Itau in the first three months of the year.

But the American, who won his maiden ATP Tour title in 2018 (Delray Beach), didn’t reach a semi-final all season and returns to the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan with a 21-25 record.

“It was tough. Obviously, your head gets a little big, you think you can just show up [at] the big events,” Tiafoe told ATPTour.com. “I think I learned a lot this year, and it’s going to to help me for next year and the years to come.”

More About Tiafoe
5 Things To Know About Milan-Bound Tiafoe
Tiafoe On #NextGenATP Friendships: ‘Togetherness Is A Big Thing’
Groups Locked In For Milan

Off the court, however, might be where Tiafoe has learned the most in 2019. The 21-year-old became a spokesperson for ThanksUSA, a nonprofit organisation that provides scholarships and employment support to children and spouses of U.S. military personnel.

Every Wednesday, when Tiafoe is around his home club, the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, USA, he plays tennis with members of the organisation as part of ThanksUSA’s Tennis Corps program. They joke around on court and open up off it.

“We play a bunch of tennis. We take breaks and just kind of talk about life, talk about some of the things they went through in the past and some of the things I’ve gone through,” he said.

Tiafoe’s mother, Alphina, and father, Frances Sr., moved from Sierra Leone to the U.S. in 1996. As a child, Frances sometimes stayed overnight at his home club, with his twin brother, Franklin, and their father, who was the Head of Maintenance. The Tiafoe boys began to play tennis at the club at the age of three.

Watch From 2017 Uncovered: Tiafoe Revisits College Park Roots

The veterans and their families like chatting with Tiafoe about the ATP Tour and follow his results. He enjoys measuring their tennis progress, or lack thereof.

“It’s a great organisation. Military families, they don’t get enough praise… I love being a part of it. I love playing with those veterans,” he said. “They love seeing me. [We] talk about my results. I talk about, ‘Man, you guys haven’t improved since I’ve been gone. What’s going on?’ They’re great people. They deserve that praise. I’m just more than happy to speak for them.”

The experiences remind Tiafoe of his unlikely beginnings and why he plays and travels the world 11 months out of the year.

“I just love being at home in general. Obviously, D.C. means everything to me. Something to have at home like that is great for me. Keeps me grounded, keeps me humble. Understanding where I came from, understanding that it’s not a ‘me thing,’ it’s a ‘we thing,’” he said. “In due time, I want to do much more. I think that would also give me much more motivation out here to know that I’m [contributing to] something bigger than myself.”

Tiafoe also has plans to do much more this week in Milan. The American didn’t advance out of the group stage in 2018, falling in straight sets to Spain’s Jaume Munar in his final match.

But Tiafoe is eager to make good on his final appearance at the award-winning 21-and-under event and apply what he’s learned this year. (Tiafoe was born in 1998, making him ineligible for the 2020 Next Gen ATP Finals.)

“This year was a huge learning curve. He did some really great things along the way,” coach Zack Evenden told ATPTour.com. “But it’s more of an important year for him, because he can learn a lot from it.”

Despite his occasional struggles, Tiafoe has never stopped working hard this season. “We always say whether any player is struggling, if you’re putting in the work, good things are going to come eventually,” Evenden said.

For Tiafoe, that good thing would be his first – and final – Milan title, a head-turning finish to match his click-worthy start.

“First priority is to get out the group and, obviously, see where you can go from there,” Tiafoe said. “But ultimately, I want to be playing on the last day and competing for a title.”