Sebastian Korda won a semi-final thriller at the European Open Saturday when he rallied from a break down in the third set to edge Dominic Thiem 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-6(4) at the ATP 250 event.

The American recovered from losing a tight first set as he held his nerve and maintained his focus in the crucial moments to advance to his second tour-level final of the season after two hours and 47 minutes.

In his first ATP Head2Head meeting against the Austrian Thiem, Korda hit 49 winners, won 72 per cent (49/68) of his first-serve points and broke four times. The 22-year-old will face second-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime or Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the championship match.

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#NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune reached his third tour-level final of the season Saturday when he edged Alex de Minaur 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 at the Stockholm Open.

The 19-year-old showed his fighting qualities as he battled from a set and a break down against the Australian to advance at the ATP 250 event after two hours and 52 minutes. Rune has now won his past five matches that have gone to a deciding set. He overcame Cameron Norrie in three sets in the quarter-finals in Stockholm.

“It was a brutal match from the beginning to the end,” Rune said in his on-court interview. “Super long rallies. Really exhausting. He takes the ball super early and puts you under a lot of pressure but I am super happy I was able to raise my level towards the end of the second set and I started a bit better than expected in the third. I am super happy with how I fought until the end.”

In an attacking performance, the Dane stepped inside the baseline and fired 45 winners to earn his 28th tour-level win of the season. Rune, currently No. 24 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the championship match after the top seed defeated Finn Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2, 6-2.

Earlier this season, he captured his maiden tour-level title in Munich before he advanced to the final in Sofia. Rune will compete at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in November, having qualified last month.

De Minaur was aiming to reach his second tour-level final of the season after winning the title in Atlanta.

With his back against the wall Saturday, Matteo Berrettini survived to reach the final at the Tennis Napoli Cup. After a slow start, the Italian raised his level on serve to overcome American Mackenzie McDonald 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3.

In a hard-fought clash at the ATP 250 event, Berrettini struggled on serve in the first set and was troubled by a foot injury, receiving a medical timeout at 2-5 in the opener.

However, the second seed stuck to the task at hand and slowly turned the match around. He fired 10 aces and struck 30 winners across the second and third sets to advance after two hours and 25 minutes on home soil.

“I don’t even know how I did it,” Berrettini said in his on-court interview. “I wasn’t feeling very good. I asked for the physio because my foot was hurting. It happened so many times in my career that I had to fight through so many things, not just thinking about the tennis ball. I didn’t want to retire. My team told me ‘I think you should stop’. But I tried and I found a way.”

With his victory, Berrettini has climbed to 13th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin on 2,375 points. The 26-year-old, currently 690 points behind seventh-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime, will need a strong end to the season to give him a chance of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals for a third time.

Berrettini, who did not drop a set in his opening two matches in Naples, will face countryman Lorenzo Musetti in the final on Sunday after the 20-year-old maintained his good hard-court form to down Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-4.

Musetti reached the semi-finals in his past two tournaments in Sofia and Florence, but he rarely looked in danger of falling at the same stage in Naples, where he found rhythm behind his groundstrokes to dictate play against Kecmanovic. He broke the Serbian’s serve three times en route to an 89-minute win to the delight of the home fans.

“I’m enjoying playing with this beautiful view, on this beautiful court, a lot,” said Musetti after the match. “I think I’m playing my best tennis on hard courts for sure. I’m serving really big, I’ve only [conceded] a break once in three matches and I haven’t lost a set. I’m feeling confident, especially with the serve, and I’m returning pretty well, so I think I did a lot of improvements from last season.”

#NextGenATP star Musetti lifted his maiden tour-level crown in Hamburg in July and is now 29-23 for the season. Currently third in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan, he has already secured his spot at November’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for the second consecutive year, and will now play for his second ATP Tour title in his maiden ATP Head2Head meeting with his good friend Berrettini.

“Tomorrow we will be rivals for the time on court, and for the time off court we will still be friends, for sure,” said Musetti. “Especially in the last part of the year, we have shared a lot of memories and times together. Especially at the Davis Cup, but even at tournaments we practise a lot together. Even here, today. So we are really close, and tomorrow is going to be a really tough one for both. The winner will take all, but for sure the friendship will remain.”

The Nitto ATP Finals will award a record $14.75 million in prize money at this year’s season finale, which will be played at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 13-20 November.

The prize money pool reflects an increase of 103 per cent on the 2021 tournament and a 64 per cent increase on the 2019 event, the last pre-pandemic edition of the Nitto ATP Finals.

If the champion at this year’s tournament lifts the trophy with a perfect record, he will earn $4,740,300, a 105 per cent increase year over year. That would be a record prize money for a champion in all of tennis.

Three matches at this year’s Nitto ATP Finals will be worth more than $1 million. Each semi-final victory will be worth $1.07 million and the championship match will yield the winner $2,200,400.

*Singles Participation Fee Schedule (2022)
1 match: $160,000
2 matches: $240,000
3 matches: $320,000

If an undefeated doubles team lifts the trophy in Turin, the winners will share $930,300, a 117 per cent increase compared to 2021.

Doubles Participation Fee Schedule (2021)
1 match: $52,000
2 matches: $97,500
3 matches: $130,000

Still riding high from his title last week in Florence, Felix Auger-Aliassime moved within two wins of a repeat run in Stockholm on Friday. But the second-seeded Canadian needed to dig deep to fend off Daniel Evans 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 in a two-hour, 40-minute match that concluded after midnight at the European Open.

“It was a really high-quality match from both of us and I couldn’t regret too much, or anything really, in the first set. He just played a bit too good,” the Canadian said post-match. “Then I started serving better, I was able to hold my serve a little bit easier, so that of course helped.

“From the tie-break and the third set, it was a great finish from me. I’m really happy I made the effort to dig deep and push hard until the end.”

The victory further secured Auger-Aliassime’s seventh-place position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race to Turin, as the Canadian strives to clinch what may be the final qualification spot for this year’s Nitto ATP Finals. With 3,065 points, he now holds a 180-point lead over Tokyo champion Taylor Fritz in eighth place.

After the aggressive Evans claimed the opening set by winning its lone break point early on, the Briton fended off three break chances midway through the second to set up the crucial tie-break. The late stages of the set were dominated by the server, and that continued in the tie-break, in which Auger-Aliassime won all five points on his delivery.

Evans continued to attack and brought up deuce on return while leading 1-0, but he would never create a second break point. Instead, Auger-Aliassime finally converted on his sixth break opportunity and again on his seventh to put the match beyond doubt.

Seeking the third tour-level title of this season and his career, Auger-Aliassime will look to extend his six-match winning streak when he meets Richard Gasquet in the semi-finals. The Frenchman was a  6-2, 7-6(6) winer against David Goffin earlier on Friday night as he advanced to his second ATP Tour semi-final of 2022 (Geneva) and his first on hard courts since Sofia in 2020.

In a highlight-filled and eventful matchup on Friday at the Stockholm Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas edged home favourite Mikael Ymer to reach his second straight ATP Tour semi-final.

The Greek saved 10 of 11 break points, including one at 5-5 in the opening set, as he did just enough to keep the Swede’s charge at bay. Both men looked to attack early and often in the high-quality contest, combining for 57 net approaches, with each man winning roughly two-thirds of his ventures forward. The pair also combined for 56 winners, Ymer striking 29 to his opponent’s 27.

“It was not easy playing out here,” Tsitsipas said of facing the Swede in front of his home crowd. “I really had to play good tennis, come up with some creative shots, and I’m very happy with the result.

“I had to really work hard for it. He came very close, getting kind of a small lead, but I stopped him. I was there, insisting, and persevered in the first set. It was such a crucial moment to go through, and I did that and the rest came.”

After failing to serve out the opening set at 5-4, Tsitsipas took control by winning five straight games. His run began with his gutsy hold at 5-5 and ended with another battling service game in which he saved three break points for 3-0 in the second. Those would be the last break points he faced in the match as he saw home his advantage with strong serving.

Now 5-0 in his ATP Head2Head series against Ymer — each win coming in straight sets, including three at Grand Slams — Tsitsipas awaits the winner of third seed Frances Tiafoe’s matchup with Emil Ruusuvuori, last on centre court.

“I’d like to congratulate Mikael on a great fight. [He’s made a] big improvement since last time we played,” said Tsitsipas. “I think he knows better of what he has been doing the last couple of months to get to that level.”

A finalist two weeks ago in Astana, where he lost to Novak Djokovic, Tsitsipas is seeking his third ATP Tour title of the season following triumphs in Monte Carlo and Mallorca.

In the 45-year history of the ATP Challenger Tour, Lithuania had never hosted a Challenger tournament. That all changed this week, as the Challenger circuit turned its eyes to the country’s capital city, Vilnius.

Lithuania, located in the Baltic states, is the 91st country to host a Challenger tournament. Tournament director Ramūnas Grušas, who is the Lithuanian Tennis Federation president, spoke with ATPTour.com about the process it took to build the Vilnius Open by kevin.

“We started to think about having a Challenger in 2013,” Grušas said. “We made a trip to some Challengers in Europe and talked to the organisers there and finally, we are doing it. We are really happy and excited.”

The host venue, the SEB Arena, provides world-class facilities to the Challenger 80 event. Boasting 28 indoor tennis courts, the SEB Arena is the largest indoor tennis complex in central Europe. Squash and badminton courts can also be found at the state-of-the-art facility. A recent expansion project included the construction of a stadium court for the debut tournament.

“During the Covid time, we built a new facility, including a centre court with 1,500 capacity,” Grušas said. “We built an extra six practice courts. Throughout the past year, we’ve made the venue really good for the players and spectators.

“It’s really important to show people that we are here. We have high-quality facilities, I think it’s showing that we are going in a good direction. This week, a lot of kids are coming to see the tennis and are enjoying it.

“We are not looking at this tournament for a really commercial side. We are looking to have good quality.”

The Vilnius Challenger marks the first time that Ricardas Berankis, who turned pro in 2007, has competed on home soil.

“I think it’s one of the best Challengers in the world,” The former World No. 50 said. “Not because I’m from here but overall I didn’t see or hear any unhappy players. I hope it will bring more attention from higher-ranked players in the future.”

Home favourite Ricardas Berankis in action at the 2022 Vilnius Challenger. Credit: Saulius Čirba

After initially submitting a tournament application in 2018 and patiently waiting through the Covid break, Grušas said that working closely with the ATP turned the dream of staging a tournament into reality.

“We have good relations with the ATP office,” Grušas said. “They helped us a lot with all of our questions because it was the first time for us.

“They [The ATP Challenger Tour] put the players first. You can feel it from the first step when you are talking with the ATP office and referees. You need to do all the best for the players.”

Frenchman Antoine Escoffier, seeded eighth, has strong impressions of the Vilnius Challenger.

“The event is really well organised,” Escoffier said. “The hotel and food are on site. The physio and practice courts are also on site. I think it’s one of the best conditions to have a tournament. It’s really impressive here.”

With a population approaching 600,000, Vilnius is the largest city in Lithuania. The city is known for its architecture in ‘Old Town’, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Vilnius was named the EU’s European Capital of Culture in 2009 and is one of the fastest growing and developing cities in Europe.

Not only is Vilnius establishing deep roots as a cultural centre in Europe, it’s proving to be a great location for the ATP Challenger Tour.

Dominic Thiem produced an escape act of the highest order Friday at the European Open in Antwerp, where the Austrian saved three match points before downing top seed Hubert Hurkacz with a thrilling 3-6, 7-6(9), 7-6(4) victory.

Thiem saved those match points in a pulsating second-set tie-break, including one with a powerful backhand that crept over the net via a net cord at 5/6. The former World No. 3 then held his nerve to clinch the set and repeated the trick in the decider, surging to an unassailable 6/2 lead in the tie-break to claim his first win against Hurkacz in four ATP Head2Head meetings.

“This victory especially is unbelievable because it’s my first victory over an almost-Top 10 guy in my comeback process,” said Thiem, who returned to the Tour in March after missing nine months due to a wrist injury. “It was unbelievable to play, a great atmosphere and a great match.”

Despite his stroke of luck with the second-set net cord, Thiem kept a high level throughout the two-hour, 55-minute encounter. He struck 36 winners to Hurkacz’s 47, with his trademark backhand a particularly potent weapon.

“Indoors, especially against someone who is serving that great, it’s about little details and margins,” said Thiem. “Today the luck was on my side on that match point. The match could easily have been gone, but it’s like that at the highest level and I’m very happy in general to even get to those close situations again. Today it went my way and I have to enjoy it.”

Thiem’s next opponent will be Sebastian Korda, who wasted no time booking his semi-final spot with a 6-0, 6-2 triumph against Yoshihito Nishioka. Korda converted five of six break-point opportunities to seal a 52-minute win and extend his indoor record for the season to 11-3.

Holger Rune notched another impressive win on the indoor hard courts of Europe on Friday, when the 19-year-old took out second seed Cameron Norrie in the quarter-finals at the Stockholm Open.

The World No. 27 responded strongly to dropping the first-set tie-break to charge to a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 win. He struck 38 winners, including 11 aces, to claim his first victory against the Briton in four ATP Tour meetings this year.

“It was an unbelievable match, I think we both played pretty well,” said Rune after the victory. “Obviously I’ve lost three times in a row to Cam, so I knew it was going to be difficult and the result today showed it was a lot of hard work, so I’m just super happy that after a tough and very long first set, I could stay composed and find a way.”

Having reached the final in Sofia three weeks ago, Rune’s run in Stockholm so far has lifted him to No. 25 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as he prepares to meet Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals. The Australian notched an impressive win of his own in Sweden on Friday, downing Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 7-6(4) to reach his fifth tour-level semi-final of the season.