Stefanos Tsitsipas avoided an upset bid on Thursday at the Swiss Indoors Basel, rallying past Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 tournament. It is the Greek’s 13th quarter-final of the season, equalling Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut for the ATP Tour-lead.

Berankis has not made an ATP Tour quarter-final since Dubai, but the World No. 70 had momentum on his side against Tsitsipas, leading 7-6(4), 1-0 and earning a 0/30 advantage on Tsitsipas’ serve. But the third seed maintained his composure, and dominated his service games the rest of the match to triumph after two hours and one minute.

After reaching the Citi Open semi-finals in August, Tsitsipas lost five of six matches and appeared to be struggling for form. But the reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion, who has booked his spot at the Nitto ATP Finals 10-17 November for the first time, has bounced back well over the past month. The 21-year-old made the China Open final and the Rolex Shanghai Masters semi-finals, and that confidence showed in his victory against Berankis.

After some uncharacteristic errors from Tsitsipas allowed the Lithuanian to earn the first set, the Greek buckled down and raised his level. Although Berankis played inspired tennis and competed well with the World No. 7, Tsitsipas’ variety of weapons proved too much to overcome in the big moments. On his first match point, Tsitsipas fired a cross-court forehand that Berankis could not handle, celebrating with a fist pump.

Tsitsipas only faced one break point in the match, and he won 75 per cent of his second-serve points, preventing Berankis from going on the offensive unless he did so from tough positions. The Greek will next face ATP Race To London contender Fabio Fognini or Serbian Filip Krajinovic.

Berankis was trying to claim his third Top 10 win (2-10), with his two previous triumphs coming against Milos Raonic, including a first-round upset in Basel three years ago. If Berankis defeated Tsitsipas, it would have been the fourth straight year in which a qualifier had made the quarter-finals or better in Basel.

Ugo Humbert won’t be missing out on the Next Gen ATP Finals this year. The 20-year-old left-hander booked his ticket to the award-winning tournament on Thursday following the withdrawal of Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime (left ankle).

Here are five things to know about the talented Frenchman, who’s leading the country’s #NextGenATP hopefuls.

1. He has steadily climbed the ATP Rankings
Last October, Humbert had just cracked the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings. But this year, he’s made it his permanent home.

The 20-year-old hit a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 46 in July and, since 7 January, has never seen a triple-digit number next to his name.

“I work hard. I am very much focussed,” Humbert said. “I just try to carry on and deal with myself. It’s more important to focus on my own career rather than looking around.”

More Milan Qualifications
Ruud Will Make Maiden Milan Showing
Tiafoe Is Coming Back To Milan
Shapovalov Books Return Trip

2. He excels off the court as well
The Frenchman relaxes after a day of training by playing the piano 30 to 45 minutes every day. The habit helps take his mind off tennis.

He started playing piano when he was about five years old at the urging of his parents. Now he always travels with his keyboard, and the French Tennis Federation has a piano at his training facility in Paris.

“I try to play as often as I can,” Humbert said. “I really enjoy playing, and it is very relaxing. During those moments, I don’t think about anything else.”

Watch Hot Shot: Humbert Strikes Past Shapovalov In Lyon

3. He made history at SW19
Humbert had never played a professional match on grass before this season. But who said experience was a prerequisite to making the second week of Wimbledon? Humbert beat #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime to make the Round of 16, where he fell to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

“I’m very happy about this match. Felix is a great player and a good friend, so I was really happy to share the court with him. For sure, it will be the next generation and the future,” Humbert said.

He became the 43rd man in the Open Era to make the Wimbledon fourth round on debut. Only five other players have accomplished the feat in the past 10 years.

Men To Reach Wimbledon R16 On Debut In Past 10 Years

4. Grass and indoors are his favourite conditions
Humbert’s flat style excels in quick and low-bouncing conditions, such as on grass and at indoor events. The 6’2” left-hander is 6-4 at tour-level this year on grass, including his Hall of Fame Open semi-final run in Newport in July. Indoors, Humbert is 7-6 at tour-level, which includes two other semi-final runs, at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille and the European Open in Antwerp.

More About Humbert
Humbert Returns To Winning Ways In Lyon
Moving On Up: Challenger Stars Make Transition
Humbert Continues Run Of Form In Marseille

5. He narrowly missed out on Milan one year ago
A late surge by Hubert Hurkacz saw the Pole leapfrog Humbert in the final 2018 ATP Race To Milan standings and qualify for the 21-and-under event. But not this year: Humbert is ready to make his debut and become the first Frenchman to compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Speaking earlier this year, Humbert shared how much the accomplishment means to him: “It is one of my goals this year to participate and be one of the best young players,” he said. “I will give everything in order to be there this year.”

Roberto Bautista Agut kept alive his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals on Thursday, but fellow London contender David Goffin fell in the Erste Bank Open second round.

Bautista Agut, who is attempting to join Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev as first-time qualifiers at the season finale, to be held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November, beat Richard Gasquet of France 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 over one hour and 44 minutes in Vienna.

In recording his 40th match win of the season, the Spaniard not only advanced to his 13th tour-level quarter-final, but also added 45 points to further strengthen his position of ninth in the ATP Race To London tally (2,530 points).

View Basel Singles Draw

Earlier in the day, Goffin, runner-up at the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals (l. to Dimitrov) and 11th in the Race (2,325 points), could not find a way to break the serve of American Reilly Opelka and paid the price.

Opelka hit 29 aces in a 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-5 victory over the 2014 Vienna finalist in two hours and 25 minutes for a quarter-final clash on Friday against Bautista Agut.

Bautista Agut is just 40 points away from eighth-placed Italian Matteo Berrettini (2,570 points), with two singles berths left up for grabs at the Nitto ATP Finals. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Medvedev, Dominic Thiem and Tsitsipas have already booked their London tickets.

Miomir Kecmanovic will finish the best season of his young career at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. The 20-year-old Serbian qualified for the 21-and-under event on Thursday following the withdrawal of Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime (left ankle).

1. He knows Novak Djokovic well.
The two share a hometown of Belgrade and, if they’re playing at the same tournament, often they’ll practise together. When he was a kid, Kecmanovic looked up to Djokovic and Roger Federer. The 20-year-old has benefitted from Djokovic’s advice.

“Obviously sometimes you don’t feel like doing anything. You feel like not practising or maybe quitting. And to hear [Djokovic] saying, ‘No, you have to keep going. Push through it,’ give some encouraging advice like that, I think that helped me a lot,” Kecmanovic said.

But, as Djokovic said in the below Miami video, he won’t be giving Kecmanovic any of his Grand Slam trophies.

Watch: Kecmanovic Grills Federer, Djokovic & More

2. He’s had to rewrite his goal for 2019.
Kecmanovic, who started the year at No. 131 in the ATP Rankings, had only one goal for the 2019 season: Finish in the Top 100. He crossed that off the list in March when he cracked the Top 100 at No. 95, and in September, Kecmanovic reached a career-high of No. 47.

The Serbian won’t be able to improve his ATP Ranking in Milan as the tournament doesn’t offer ATP Rankings points, but Kecmanovic will be eyeing the Top 30 in 2020.

More Milan Qualifications
Ruud Will Make Maiden Milan Showing
Tiafoe Is Coming Back To Milan
Shapovalov Books Return Trip

3. He enjoyed a breakout week in the desert.
Kecmanovic had just one tour-level win before the BNP Paribas Open in March, and he needed two people to withdraw for him to even play in the main draw of the season’s first ATP Masters 1000 event.

Two people pulled out, though, and Kecmanovic became the first lucky loser to reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals since the Masters 1000 series began in 1990 (l. to Raonic). With such luck, Kecmanovic made plans to play the lottery. “I’m going to get a ticket because this is just nice.”

Kecmanovic later reached his first ATP Tour final in Antalya before losing to Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego. “It’s an ATP [Tour event]. Everybody knows how to play tennis. Everybody’s good,” he said. “It’s definitely exciting that I was able to come through… I hope that I can keep up playing the way I did and that’s all I can ask of myself.”

More On #NextGenATP Kecmanovic
Kecmanovic Upsets Zverev In Cincy For First Top 10 Win
The Secrets To Kecmanovic’s 2019 Rise
Kecmanovic Feeling So Lucky He’s Ready To Play Lottery

4. He moved away from his parents when he was 13.
Kecmanovic left Belgrade when he was 13 to train full-time at the IMG Academy in Florida.

“It was weird in the beginning, moving away from home, dropping everything, literally everything that I had back home, and leaving my parents behind,” said Kecmanovic, who saw his parents – both doctors – about twice a year once he moved. “But I knew… that I had to do it. Because if I stayed at home, I wouldn’t have the same practices or coaches or everything, in general.

“If I didn’t go there, I don’t think that I would be here today.”

Kecmanovic certainly had no shortage of players to hit with once he moved to the U.S. The very first pro he shared a court with was 6’5” Max Mirnyi, who retired last year after a 22-year professional career that included 50 tour-level doubles titles. “I’m happy that I had him, somebody so experienced to have to talk to sometimes,” Kecmanovic said.

5. He had the best off-season of his life last year.
Last off-season, Kecmanovic practised with Dominic Thiem, German Jan-Lennard Struff and others for three weeks at Tenerife, one of Spain’s Canary Islands. The then-teenager was tested mentally and physically.

“It was tough at the beginning. I was struggling,” Kecmanovic told ATPTour.com. “We had three weeks as we moved, hit, hit and hit more. Towards the end I was adjusted and it felt pretty good.”

The experience changed his mindset and opened his eyes as to how hard some of the best players on Tour work.

“I really got to see how the top guys play and see their level. After qualifying for [the Australian Open] I think I just started to believe more that I could do it, that I belonged there,” Kecmanovic said. “It started to go my way.

“[My belief] was definitely something that I was thinking about, but it’s different when it actually happens and [you keep up with them], then you start to believe it when you see that it’s happening. When it started, it was maybe one match, two matches. [Then] I saw that I could play at this level.”

The ATP has announced the appointment of Andrea Gaudenzi as ATP Chairman for a four-year term, beginning 1 January 2020.

Following a highly accomplished professional career on the ATP Tour during which he won three ATP titles and reached a career-high ATP Ranking of 18, Gaudenzi has forged a successful career in business over the past 15 years and was the unanimous choice of the ATP Board of Directors.

The 46-year-old Italian brings a wealth of experience across a wide range of sectors including sports marketing, entertainment, data, technology and media. Most recently, Gaudenzi was instrumental in his role on the Board of ATP Media, leading the successful restructuring of the business which serves as the broadcast arm of the ATP Tour.

“The ATP has played a central part in my life in so many ways, and to be given this opportunity to serve as ATP Chairman is a true honour,” said Gaudenzi. “I look forward to overseeing the future direction of the Tour and building on the sport’s global success and popularity at what is unquestionably one of the most exciting times in the history of men’s professional tennis. I’m very thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait to get started in January.”

Gavin Forbes, ATP Board Tournament Representative, Americas, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Andrea as the next Chairman of the ATP. Following a first-rate career as a player, Andrea has excelled in various roles away from tennis. He offers the rare combination of knowing the business of the ATP Tour inside out, as well as benefitting from invaluable experience away from the sport. He will be able to hit the ground running in January and has all the attributes required to build on the significant growth of our business in recent years.”

Alex Inglot, ATP Board Player Representative, Europe, said: “Andrea offers a compelling range of attributes and experiences inside and outside the sport that will position him very well as we seek to address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for our organisation. The ATP Tour is a unique 50-50 partnership between players and tournaments, and Andrea’s broad experience across both sides of our membership, as well as a proven track record away from tennis, were exactly what we were looking for as a Board.”

Novak Djokovic, President of the ATP Player Council, said: “On behalf of the players, I’d like to welcome Andrea as the next Chairman of the ATP. As a former player, he has walked in our shoes, and has also become a successful entrepreneur following his playing career. He has all the qualities to lead the Tour and we look forward to working together for the benefit of the players and the sport more generally.”

After his playing career, Gaudenzi obtained a law degree from the University of Bologna, Italy, followed by a Master of Business Administration at the International University of Monaco where he graduated with honours.

More recently, he has held leadership positions at several start-up entertainment, tech and gaming businesses in London, including Musixmatch and Soldo, as well as serving on the Board of ATP Media.

With a wide range of candidates from within sport and beyond under consideration for the role, the appointment of Gaudenzi concludes an extensive leadership recruitment process undertaken over the past six months by the ATP Board, with the assistance of global leadership advisory and executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates.

Roger Federer is a master at building momentum. Rafael Nadal is the king of killing it if it’s flowing against him.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 from the 2019 season focusses on players winning three points in a row when serving to surge to 40/0, and also losing three in a row to drop into a precarious 0/40 hole.

Serving: Getting To 40/0
So far in the 2019 season, Federer wins the opening three points of his service game almost 38 per cent of the time – well above the Top 10 average of 32 per cent. In second place is World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who is following closely behind at 36.21 per cent (256/707).

The other two players who have won three points in a row to start their service games more than a third of the time are Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Current Top 10: Winning Three Consecutive Points To Go To 40/0

Serving: Avoiding Falling To 0/40
Nadal is best of the current Top 10 at not losing three points in a row and falling to 0/40 in his service games this season. Only 2.26 per cent (15/664) of the time does Nadal find himself in a 0/40 hole.

Federer comes in second at 2.40 per cent, while Djokovic is not far away in third place at 3.39 per cent. The Top 10 average falling to 0/40 just 4.31 per cent (308/7140), or around one in 23 service games.

Current Top 10: Losing Three Consecutive Points To Go To 0/40

It’s important to note that the Big Three – Federer, Nadal, Djokovic – are the leading three players in both categories. Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where they create their separation from the rest of the Top 10. Here’s one such specific example.

Henri Kontinen/John Peers made the Erste Bank Open quarter-finals in Vienna on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-3 win against Frederik Nielsen/Tim Puetz. Kontinen/Peers are currently in eighth place in the ATP Race To London, with 2,910 points, and will next meet Marcus Daniell/Philipp Oswald, who beat Belgians Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen 4-6, 7-5, 10-7. The top eight doubles teams will compete at the Nitto ATP Finals, from 10-17 November at The O2 in London.

Rohan Bopanna/Denis Shapovalov advanced 7-6(6), 6-2 against home favourites Oliver Marach/Jurgen Melzerr and will next face top seeds Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo, who have already booked their place in London.

At the Swiss Indoors Basel, top seeds Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos saved all three break points to reach the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 7-6(3) win against Richard Gasquet/Edouard Roger-Vasselin. This year’s US Open finalists (l. to Cabal/Farah) will play Santiago Gonzalez/Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi for a place in the semi-finals.

In a rematch from this year’s Roland Garros final, Jeremy Chardy/Fabrice Martin got revenge by defeating third seeds Kevin Krawietz/Andreas Mies 7-6(2), 6-4. Chardy/Martin will next take on Taylor Fritz/Reilly Opelka.

Can anyone stop Roger Federer at the Swiss Indoors Basel? The top-seeded Swiss moved closer to a 10th title at this event with an outstanding 6-0, 6-3 second-round performance on Wednesday against Moldovan Radu Albot.

“I’m extremely happy because I really struggled against him in Miami and he definitely got my attention there. I was basically a point away from losing,” Federer said. “It was important for me to show a reaction to that match and come out with a proper game plan. I think I learned a lot from that match.

“I really respect Radu. He tries everything to win in a really tough and great and fair way. I’m very happy with the way I played. I had an answer for everything he threw at me today and that’s great.”

Are you kidding me, @rogerfederer?! ?

That’s MAGIC from RF! ?

?: @TennisTV | #SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/kuZuciUqNP

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 23, 2019

Federer improved to 73-9 in Basel and has won his past 22 matches on centre court. The 38-year-old has dropped a mere five games in his first two rounds, competing in his 1,500th tour-level match as he defeated German Peter Gojowczyk on Monday.

“Maybe I was feeling some pressure [in my first appearances] and it was, in some ways, the hardest to play in front of friends and family in Basel, but not in the past 17 years,” Federer said. “I’ve really enjoyed every moment and always tried to understand how I should take advantage of playing at home.”

Read More: Goffin & Wawrinka Make Their Cases For London With Basel Wins

in Miami, Albot pushed Federer to the edge in a three-set tussle. Armed with the knowledge of how dangerous the Moldovan can be, Federer brought his best tennis from the first point. The Swiss dominated the baseline rallies throughout the opening set, firing 13 winners as he sprinted to an early advantage after 22 minutes.

Albot did his best to keep his spirits up and the crowd entertained in spite of the one-sided scoreline. He cracked a sarcastically bemused smile after a rare Federer error at 0-2 in the second set, then bowed to the crowd after holding serve in that game to get on the board.

But while the Moldovan won a moral victory by avoiding a double bagel, he wasn’t able to win much else on the night as Federer continued his vintage form. A strong backhand from the Swiss wrapped up play after 62 minutes. Federer finished the night with 32 winners to just 21 unforced errors, in addition to taking 75 per cent of his service points (30/40).

Rockstar reception for some rockstar tennis ?

Federer’s doing Federer things in Basel…

?: @TennisTV | @rogerfederer | #SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/PY6avEZZLw

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 23, 2019

Awaiting Federer in the next round is seventh-seeded Swiss Stan Wawrinka or #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe, who both won their respective first-round matches on Wednesday. Federer leads Tiafoe 3-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, including a win in Basel two years ago. He also holds a 23-3 advantage over Wawrinka in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry and has prevailed in their past seven matches. Federer won their lone Basel clash in the 2011 semi-finals.

“I think the fans would love [a match against Stan] because he’s struggled at this tournament for some reason, but it’s great to see him back healthy,” Federer said. “We’ve always had some tough matches, even on hard courts. Hopefully this match happens for the fans.”

#NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur continued his dominance over Taylor Fritz with a 6-3, 6-3 win and improved to 3-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. The 20-year-old, who also defeated Fritz this July in the Atlanta final, racked up 10 break points and converted four to advance after one hour and 17 minutes. He’ll play Jan-Lennard Struff in the quarter-finals after the German defeated Swiss Henri Laaksonen 6-3, 6-4.

“I felt like I played a very complete match. I had a game plan and was able to stick to it. I’ve been working on just trying to keep that high level,” said De Minaur. “This is a tournament I’m really enjoying. Everything is easy and all the people are so nice, so it’s just a joy to play here.”

Lithuanian qualifier Ricardas Berankis picked up his 100th tour-level win with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 victory over Spaniard Pablo Andujar. Next up for Berankis is a second-round clash with third-seeded #NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Filip Krajinovic, runner-up last week in Stockholm (l. to Shapovalov), continued his top form by easing past fellow Serbian Laslo Djere 6-1, 6-4. The 27-year-old improved to 2-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Djere and will meet fifth-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini for a place in the quarter-finals.

Did You Know?
The five games Federer has dropped so far this week is the fewest he’s lost in his opening two matches in Basel since 2006. 

Gael Monfils will get his rematch with #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner. The Frenchman, who’s in contention for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, rallied to beat Austrian wild card Dennis Novak 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Wednesday at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.

Monfils hit 13 aces and converted all three break points. “There were some issues and I was getting very frustrated. I was battling with my body, my mind and obviously against the opponent. I think experience won [the match] for me,” Monfils said. “I think his level dropped a bit at 6-5 in the second set and he was a bit tense in the third set, so I tried to put the ball in and that was it.”

Monfils will next face the 18-year-old Sinner, who continued his impressive run by beating German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber on Tuesday. Sinner beat Monfils last week en route to the semi-finals of the European Open in Antwerp (l. to Wawrinka). The Italian became the youngest ATP Tour semi-finalist since Borna Coric at the 2014 Swiss Indoors Basel.

Monfils added 45 points to his ATP Race To London tally with the first-round win and moved into 12^th place in the Race, passing Japan’s Kei Nishikori. Monfils, with 2,215 points, trails Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, who holds the eighth and final qualification spot (2,525 points), by 310 points. Two spots still remain for the season finale, to be held 10-17 November at The O2 in London.