In 2016, Wu Di lifted China’s first ATP Challenger Tour trophy. One year later, Wu Yibing became its first teenage titlist. And on Sunday, the country will celebrate yet another milestone on the circuit.

For the first time in Challenger history, an all-Chinese final will take centre stage. Zhang Zhizhen is set to face Li Zhe for the title at the Shenzhen Longhua Open, in what will be a historic moment for the emerging tennis nation.

Zhang, the 23-year-old Shanghai native, is making a splash on the scene in 2019, having lifted his first trophy in Jinan and earning a pair of ATP Tour match wins last month in Zhuhai and Beijing. Li, meanwhile, is appearing in his second final and first in nearly three years. The 33-year-old from Tianjin previously reached the championship match in Bangkok to open the 2017 season.

Now, much will be at stake at the Mission Hills Country Club. With China continuing to emerge on the professional scene, both players understand the impact this moment can have.

“This is a great feeling for a Chinese player,” said Li. “It’s the first time ever it’s happened in a Challenger final. And it’s a big Challenger as well. It’s a big moment for Chinese tennis and special for men’s tennis as a whole, because we’ve never had this before. It’s a great feeling.”

“It shows that we are improving,” added Zhang. “It’s never happened before where two Chinese players reach a final. It’s very good news for us.”

This week in Shenzhen, the Challenger 110 event is held at one of the more renowned country clubs in the world. Also accredited as the world’s largest golf facility in 2004, it is home to 12 courses, each designed by a different golfing legend.

Players stay at the adjacent Hard Rock Hotel, within walking distance to the courts. The venue is also home to an amusement park, with families encouraged to spend the day at the tennis while enjoying the rides and activities.

Zhang, nicknamed ‘ZZZ’, owns a 3-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head lead over the man they call ‘Tiger’. All five meetings have come at the Challenger level, including two this year. Most recently, Zhang prevailed in straight sets in Columbus in June.

This week, ZZZ is doing his best to build off a breakthrough victory over World No. 34 Kyle Edmund at the China Open. He has not dropped a set en route to the final and is already projected to rise to a career-high ATP Ranking in the Top 160.

“This week my coach is not here, so I’ve been pretty relaxed,” Zhang said, laughing. “I’m just focusing on every single point in the matches and it’s going well.”

Li is also projected to reach a career-high in the ATP Rankings on Monday. He will crack the Top 200 for the first time.

“I’ve just been trying my best and fighting in every match,” said Li. “I pushed as hard as I could and gave everything on the court. It’s been a very good result so far this week and I wish to keep going tomorrow.”

The numbers don’t lie. The depth at this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals, which starts Tuesday at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, is better than ever.

There are 13 #NextGenATP stars currently inside the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, compared to 10 in 2017 and 2018. Three of them (Tsitsipas, De Minaur, Auger-Aliassime) are inside the Top 20, compared to two last year and one in 2017.

Top 100 #NextGenATP Players

But it’s not just the quantity of players that is making it difficult to qualify. The ATP Race to Milan, which determines who qualifies for Milan, shows that the number of ATP Rankings points required to make the cut is higher than ever.

South Korean Hyeon Chung (2017) and Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic (2019) were both seventh in the Race for their respective years competing in Milan. But Chung, who finished seventh in the 2017 Race with 805 points, would have been tenth in this year’s Race. Meanwhile, Kecmanovic’s current tally of 975 points would have put him at fourth in the 2017 Race.

Seventh In ATP Race to Milan

The difference still holds further down in the standings. Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 11th in the Race (653), is the last direct entrant into this year’s event. He also holds more points than the players in his position for the previous two years.

11th In ATP Race to Milan

After weathering the toughest cut yet with their outstanding results, this year’s competitors will be in prime form as they to look to finish the season with a title in Milan.

Second seed Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Rolex Paris Masters ahead of his semi-final due to an abdominal injury he sustained during his warm-up. He made the decision not to play on recommendation of the on-site doctors.

Canadian Denis Shapovalov advances to his first ATP Masters 1000 final. The #NextGenATP star will face World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for the title on Sunday. Djokovic leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 3-0, with each of those meetings coming this year.

The battle for the year-end No. 1 ATP Ranking will come down to the Nitto ATP Finals. By reaching the Paris final, Djokovic is within 1,040 points of Nadal in the ATP Race To London, and he can pull to within 640 points of the Spaniard by lifting his 34th Masters 1000 trophy against Shapovalov.

More to come…

Novak Djokovic has enjoyed great success at ATP Masters 1000 events throughout his career, lifting 33 trophies across all nine events.

The World No. 1 enjoyed another milestone on Saturday, reaching his 50th Masters 1000 championship match with a 7-6(5), 6-4 win against Grigor Dimitrov at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The World No. 1 extended his unbeaten record in Bercy semi-finals to six matches, winning 85 per cent of first-serve points (34/40) to reach his sixth final at the event. Djokovic owns a 10-1 record at this tournament after reaching the semi-finals.

”It’s a motivation [to win my fifth Paris title] every day. I feel good in such conditions, especially in France… You have the culture of tennis,” said Djokovic. “You have a lot of support from the crowd. You could see the French players had a lot of support. I’m motivated. I want to do well tomorrow. I hope to find my best tennis.”

With his ninth victory in 10 FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against Dimitrov, Djokovic is through to his sixth final of the year (4-1). The four-time Paris champion is tied with Dominic Thiem (5-1) and Roger Federer (4-2) in second place on the 2019 finals leaderboard. Daniil Medvedev has reached nine championship matches (4-5) this year.

Djokovic is aiming to finish as year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings for a record-tying sixth time. The 32-year-old will enter the championship match against Denis Shapovalov 1,040 points behind Rafael Nadal in the Race. Djokovic is unbeaten in three FedEx ATP Head2Head clashes against the Canadian.

“I think [Denis has] reduced his unforced errors. His game has always been there and, especially this year, he’s improved even more,” said Djokovic. “He has played some impressive tennis, yesterday especially against Monfils. I’m looking forward to the final… Hopefully I will be able to get the best out of myself tomorrow.”

In a first set dominated by serve, neither player was able to earn a break point en route to the tie-break. With Dimitrov leading 5/3, Djokovic raised his level and refused to miss. The World No. 1 soaked up the aggression from Dimitrov’s racquet, extending rallies with consistent depth on his groundstrokes and great defensive skill to eventually extract errors and take the opening set.

Djokovic returned with depth and proved more consistent than his opponent on his forehand side to claim the only break of the match at 2-2 in the second set. The World No. 1 maintained his advantage to serve for the match at 5-4 and booked his spot in the final with a cross-court forehand.

“He was probably the better player in the tie-break,” said Djokovic. “[With Grigor up] 5/3 and 5/4, serving twice, I managed to get returns into play and just make him play an extra shot… We both really understood the importance of clinching the first set so we could feel a bit more relaxed in the second and start swinging through.

“In the beginning of the second set, I was focused. I did well and managed to break his serve and hold my serve really well towards the end.”

Dimitrov ends his 2019 ATP Tour season with a 22-21 tour-level record, highlighted by runs to the US Open and Paris semi-finals. At the Erste Bank Open in Vienna last week, the Bulgarian recorded his 300th tour-level victory.

Alex de Minaur finished runner-up to Stefanos Tsitsipas last November in Milan, and will look to go one better this year as the top seed at the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals. The 20-year-old Australian has won three ATP Tour titles this season, and broke into the Top 20 on Monday after reaching the ATP 500-level final at the Swiss Indoors Basel (l. to Federer). 

American Frances Tiafoe, who is set to be the No. 2 seed, also returns to Milan for a second straight year. The returning qualifiers will be joined at the award-winning 21-and-under event by Ugo Humbert, Casper Ruud, Miomir Kecmanovic, Mikael Ymer, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Italian wild card Jannik Sinner. 

The third edition of the Next Gen ATP Finals will see the continuation of a number of innovations, including a best-of-five set format, shorter sets to 4 (tie-break at 3-All) and No-Ad scoring. Other innovations include Electronic Line Calling through Hawk-Eye Live, a 25-second Shot Clock, In-Match player coaching via head-sets, Video Review and more. Players will also be permitted to use wearable technology in competition for the first time on the ATP Tour. 

This year’s tournament will also see the return of the traditional ‘let’ rule, following the decision to bring to a close the ‘no let’ trial that was in place across the first two editions of the event. 

Here’s all you need to know about the Milan tennis tournament: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 2017

Tournament Dates: 5-9 November 2019

Tournament Director: Ross Hutchins

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 2 November, at 7:30pm

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Schedule 
* Main draw round-robin: Tuesday – Thursday: Match 1 at 2:00pm, Match 2 follows (not before 3:00pm on 6 & 7 November). Match 3 at 7:30pm, Match 4 follows. 
* Semi-finals: Friday at 7:00pm & 9:00pm
* Singles final: Saturday, 9 November not before 3:00pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: Allianz Cloud

Prize Money: $1,400,000  

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now 

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles: Hyeon Chung, Stefanos Tsitsipas (1)
Oldest Champion: Hyeon Chung, 21, in 2017
Youngest Champion: Stefanos Tsitsipas, 20, in 2018
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 54 Hyeon Chung in 2017
Most Match Wins: Andrey Rublev (6)

2018 Finals
Singles: [1] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) d. [2] Alex de Minaur (AUS) 24 41 43(3) 43(3)   Read & Watch

Social
Hashtag: #NextGenATP

Facebook: @nextgenfinals
Twitter: @nextgenfinals
Instagram: @nextgenfinals

Did You Know…The first two champions of the Next Gen ATP Finals, Hyeon Chung and Stefanos Tsitsipas, went on to reach the Australian Open semi-finals the following year. 

The year-end No. 1 ATP Ranking could be sealed after Saturday’s Rolex Paris Masters semi-finals. Do the stakes get much higher than that?

Second seed Rafael Nadal continues his pursuit of his first title at this ATP Masters 1000 tournament, and his 36th trophy at this level. But the Spaniard will have to get by a highly motivated 20-year-old in Denis Shapovalov, who is trying to make his first final at this level. Nadal has not dropped a set this week, but Shapovalov is fresh off a stunning straight-sets victory against Gael Monfils, which eliminated the Frenchman from Nitto ATP Finals contention.

Nadal is 4-0 on the year against lefties, and 100-15 in his tour-level career. But one of those defeats came at Shapovalov’s hands two years ago in Montreal, in the midst of the Canadian’s magical run to the semi-finals when he was only 18. Nadal then evened their FedEx ATP Head2Head series at 1-1 last year in Rome.

“He doesn’t need any advice. That’s the real thing. He’s good in all aspects. The only thing that he needs is a little bit more time. Maybe not that much,” Nadal said after their Rome clash, cracking a smile. “He’s good. He’s very good.”

Watch Highlights: Shapovalov Vs. Nadal At 2017 Montreal

Nadal is just two victories away from clinching year-end No. 1. And if Novak Djokovic loses Saturday’s first semi-final against Grigor Dimitrov, Nadal will only need to defeat Shapovalov to accomplish the feat. But while he will be the underdog, Shapovalov carries plenty of momentum into the match. Over the past three months, the Canadian has won his first ATP Tour title in Stockholm, made semi-finals in Winston-Salem and Chengdu, and now he has a shot to earn his third Top 10 win of the year, just two days after earning his second against Alexander Zverev.

“I feel like with that title in Stockholm, it kind of gave me a sense of calmness, relief. And I’ve just been able to enjoy the last couple weeks of the season,” Shapovalov said. “Because of that, I feel like I’ve been able to play really well.”

Djokovic and Dimitrov will kickstart the day’s singles action when they meet for the 10th time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Although the World No. 1 — who holds the record with four titles at this tournament — has beaten Dimitrov on eight of nine occasions, Djokovic knows the man across the net is playing tennis reminiscent of when he won the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals.

“He’s been playing some terrific tennis this week. I saw him play the past couple of days. He seems to really like the conditions here,” Djokovic said. “I don’t play too bad myself, so it’s going to be for sure a good one.”

The pair’s only previous clash on indoor hard came here in Paris three years ago, when Djokovic triumphed 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Dimitrov did not lose a set against David Goffin in the second round or Dominic Thiem in the third round, so Djokovic knows his Bulgarian opponent is particularly dangerous in these conditions.

“The quicker it is, I think the better chance I think he’s got. On grass court particularly, he’s playing very well. But he’s also played well on the other surfaces. It’s just that I think his game is more suitable for the quicker surfaces,” Djokovic said. “Judging by the past couple of months, past couple matches I’ve seen, he’s been feeling the backhand really well. So, obviously, most of the players are trying to attack that vulnerable side of his game.

“But he mixes it up really well with the slice. He blocks a lot of returns and gets back into play and he moves extremely well. I think he’s one of the fittest guys on the Tour. So that helps him, always being in the right position.”

Watch Highlights Of Dimitrov’s Lone Win Vs. Djokovic

Dimitrov has turned his season around in a major way. At the US Open, he was World No. 78, his lowest mark since 28 May 2012. But he made the semi-finals in Flushing Meadows, and is projected to return to the Top 20 regardless of whether he defeats Djokovic.

Did You Know?
Nadal will return to No. 1 on Monday regardless of the results for the rest of the tournament.

Doubles Semi-finals
Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek clinched the final spot at the Nitto ATP Finals on Friday. And now, they will try to reach the Paris final. The eighth seeds will face unseeded Russians Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev.

In the other semi-final, two more Nitto ATP Finals qualifiers will be in action. This year’s Australian Open champions, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, will battle reigning Roland Garros titlists Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies.

Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies booked their spot in the Rolex Paris Masters semi-finals on Friday, beating Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski 6-4, 6-4.

The German pairing, who did not face a break point throughout the 70-minute encounter, won 80 per cent of service points (40/50) to advance. Krawietz and Mies entered the tournament with a 1-3 record in ATP Masters 1000 play, having made their debut at the level at the Coupe Rogers in August.

The Roland Garros champions will need to beat home favourites Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut if they are to reach their fourth tour-level championship match of the season (3-0). Herbert and Mahut defeated countrymen Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin 6-3, 7-5 to reach the last four.

In the top half of the draw, Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek booked their places in the semi-finals with a 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-7 victory against Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury. The Croatian/Slovakian team, who clinched the final spot in the Nitto ATP Finals doubles field today, saved both break points they faced during the one-hour, 40-minute clash.