With his position atop the Red Group already secured at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, Dominic Stricker stayed red-hot on Thursday in Milan with his third victory in as many days. The Swiss earned a 4-2, 4-1, 4-2 victory against Chun-Hsin Tseng to maintain his perfect record in the group stage, finalising at 3-0.

“It was not easy for me to come out here and play my best again because mentally, of course you’re already thinking a bit more of tomorrow, of the semis,” Stricker said post-match. “But I think handled it very well, I played a great match and I’m super happy with my performance. Now I can think all about tomorrow.”

He will next face Jiri Lehecka, who finished in second place in the Green Group, in Friday’s semi-finals.

Each of the first eight sets Stricker played were decided by tie-breaks, including all five against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti on Wednesday evening. But the 20-year-old quickly broke that pattern against Tseng in a match he dominated from start to finish.

Stricker broke at the first opportunity in each set and did not face a break point in sets two and three. The opening set was the most competitive, with Tseng closing to 2-3 by converting on his fifth break point, only to surrender serve — and the set — in the very next game.

“I think my serve again was very good today. It helped me a lot,” he said, one day after hitting a tournament-record 20 aces against Musetti. “My forehand was working great. I took the second serve pretty early. It helped me to keep the upper hand in the rallies. I’m super happy. He’s such a great player, he’s never losing the baseline, he’s such a great competitor. But I’m super happy with my game today and let’s hope the best for tomorrow.”

Stricker finished with 24 winners in the 56-minute match, the only contest on the week to finish in under an hour.

The sixth-seeded Tseng, who won the opening set against Jack Draper on Wednesday, was the second Asian player to compete at the Intsa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals after Hyeon Chung won the 2017 title in the event’s first edition.

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury may not win a multitude of titles in a season, but the trophies they earn usually come at the most prestigious events the sport has to offer. So beware of this pair at the Nitto ATP Finals, where last year they went all the way to the final, falling just short against Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. Expect another big run in Turin this year.

A standout 32-14 record this season has helped Ram and Salisbury qualify for their fourth appearance together at the Nitto ATP Finals. So they come into this year’s season finale with strong form and deep confidence.

“It’s [at the] top of my list as far as favourite events to play,” Ram told ATPTour.com “It’s such a special event to qualify for. We’ve been lucky enough to play it a few times, lost a tough one in the final last year. Just how tennis in general gets showcased, anytime we get to play it’s definitely an honour.”

The American-British team, who are No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, collected three titles this year and continued their trend of winning ‘the big ones’, including triumphing at the ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte Carlo and Cincinnati.

The duo carried its momentum from Cincinnati into New York, where they successfully defended their US Open crown. Ram and Salisbury claimed their third Grand Slam trophy together, having also won the 2020 Australian Open. The duo also enjoyed semi-final appearances at the Australian Open, BNP Paribas Open, and Wimbledon.

“Those [Masters 1000s and Grand Slams] are the ones we want to win, the big ones,” Salisbury said. “Even if it’s only a couple a year, those are the ones we are going for. I think it’s good we perform our best at those bigger tournaments. I think we plan our schedule to focus on those and to peak at those times.”

Joe Salisbury (left) and Rajeev Ram collect the title in Monte Carlo. Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Ram and Salisbury, who began their partnership at the beginning of 2019, played their first tournament together at the ATP 250 event in Brisbane [January 2019] and all signs indicated it would be a successful pairing. The duo completed a runner-up finish at its maiden event before claiming its first team title the following month in Dubai.

When Salisbury initially approached Ram, he patiently waited for a response from the American, who was at the ‘top of his list’. It didn’t take long for Ram to buy in and believe they had something going.

“I had played against Joe, lost both times I played him,” Ram said. “You never know [if it’s going to be successful] until you start. I really felt like we had a chance to do well together after we had a training block the December before we first started. It felt pretty natural on court together, felt like we had the same idea on continuing to try and get better and be the best we can be.”

The new partnership seemed easy for Ram and Salisbury. They quickly learned that their skill sets gel together well and after four seasons as partners, they’ve collected eight titles.

Ram and Salisbury at the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals. Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

“I think we have quite similar skills on the court,” Salisbury said. “I think we are a good serving team and we support each other’s serves very well. I think we are a tough team to get broken. We work well together, we bring out the best in each other on court.”

“One of the reasons we combine as well as we do is he brings a lot of enthusiasm, athleticism,” Ram said. “He’s a little fresher and younger on the Tour. I think I can help on the experience side because I’ve been at this for awhile. We try and get the best out of each other in both of those aspects.”

Ram, who turned pro in 2004, is just two wins shy of a milestone 400th career win. As they set their sights on a strong run at the Nitto ATP Finals, Ram has a chance to reach the career mark on Italian soil.

“‘That means I’m old!’ Ram said, while cracking a laugh. “The fact that I’ve played that many matches and been able to be out here long enough to make a milestone like that is great. It’s a dream come true to play tennis for a living and to play for this long is extra special.”

Next week will be Ram’s sixth appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he is a two-time runner-up (2016 w/ Klaasen).

The American will be satisfied with nothing less than sharing the title with Salisbury.

The Nitto ATP Finals run 13-20 November in Turin, Italy.

When Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios met in the opening round of the US Open, Kyrgios described it as ‘one of the most uncomfortable matches’ of his career. This time around, the Australians are set to compete in a more comfortable setting: doubles partners at the season-finale Nitto ATP Finals.

Kokkinakis and Kyrgios have always thrived on the big stage and the Aussie pair is anticipating bright lights yet again, this time in Turin, Italy.

“It’s [going to be] a pretty awesome experience,” Kokkinakis said. “I don’t think it’s something we expected coming into the year. To do it with such a good mate, there’s going to be good energy out there.”

Kokkinakis and Kyrgios made the best possible use of a wild card at the Australian Open, where they collected their maiden major title. In front of an energised crowd in Rod Laver Arena, the pair won the all-Aussie clash between Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell, 7-5, 6-4.

While some claim, ‘practice makes perfect’, Kokkinakis and Krygios have had a dream season together with little to no doubles practice.

“We definitely don’t practise doubles at all. We don’t do any doubles drills or anything like that. Maybe it can be an advantage, maybe a disadvantage at times because we only do our own thing.”

Although they had played doubles together before, dating back to the 2013 Australian Open, the duo hadn’t found the success its relished until this year. The Aussies lifted their second title of the season at the ATP 250 event in Atlanta. Just two good mates enjoying the sport together has led to them qualifying for Turin.

Thanasi Kokkinakis (left) and Nick Kyrgios celebrate winning the Australian Open title. Credit: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

“I think we balance out each other well,” Kokkinakis said. “When the other one is down, we lift each other up. We both are captains at times whenever we need it.”

Kokkinakis and Kyrgios have also each claimed a singles title this year. Kokkinakis won his maiden Tour-level trophy on home soil at the Adelaide International 2 (January). During a summer hot-streak, Kyrgios won 15 of 16 matches, including reaching the Wimbledon singles final (l. Djokovic) and triumphing at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.

At the US Open, Kyrgios won his first Tour-level meeting against his close friend Kokkinakis. ‘Special K’s’ haven’t veered too far from what they do well on the singles court to achieve doubles success.

“I think we bring our singles strengths onto the doubles court,” Kokkinakis said. “If we try and be doubles players instead of playing our [natural] game, it’s not going to come out too good for us. We’ll just play aggressive, serve big, and see what happens. I think we are going to continue to play singles on a doubles court.”

Close friends Kokkinakis and Kyrgios encountered each other in the US Open opening round. Credit: Elsa/Getty Images

When they step foot on Italian soil, a flock of tennis fans will be eager to see what the Aussies can do during their Nitto ATP Finals debut. Kokkinakis anticipates an energetic environment, much like what they’ve seen all season.

“It should be fun, it’s a new experience for us both,” Kokkinakis said. “It’s a massive event. We’d love to have the Italian fans going nuts.

“Wherever we’ve played this year the crowds have been packed with unbelievable energy. It’s pretty fun for us. Hopefully it can be a continuing thing going forward.”

Kokkinakis and Kyrgios, who have played just seven tournaments together this season, boast a 19-5 match record in 2022. At eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, the pair sets its sights on being crowned champion at the coveted Nitto ATP Finals.

Brandon Nakashima passed his Italian test with flying colours on Thursday, defeating Franceso Passaro 4-3(4), 4-2, 4-1 to reach the semi-finals at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals.

The American won his opening two Green Group matches in Milan, but knew a straight-sets defeat against Passaro would see him bundled out of the tournament at the expense of the 21-year-old.

However, as he has done throughout the season, Nakashima produced a resilient performance, overcoming Passaro and the crowd at the Allianz Cloud to secure victory after 61 minutes.

“I know he has had a great year this year. I thought my level was really high today,” Nakashima said. “It was nice to see it carrying over from yesterday. To come out and play like that was super special.”

The 21-year-old’s win means he tops Green Group and will face either Lorenzo Musetti or Jack Draper in the semi-finals on Friday. Runner-up Jiri Lehecka will face Red Group winner Dominic Stricker. In an impressive performance, Nakashima blasted 17 winners and saved the one break point he faced to finish the round-robin stage with a 3-0 record.

Nakashima has now earned 33 tour-level wins this season. The World No. 49, who advanced to the semi-finals on debut in Milan last year, lifted his first tour-level trophy in San Diego in September.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will not be in the same Nitto ATP Finals group, it was revealed at the draw Thursday.

Nadal is the top seed at the year-end championships for the fifth time. The Spaniard, this year’s Australian Open and Roland Garros champion, will try to lift the season finale trophy for the first time. The lefty leads Green Group alongside Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz.

Seventh seed Novak Djokovic will try to make history at the Pala Alpitour. The five-time champion can tie Roger Federer’s record of six Nitto ATP Finals titles. Stefanos Tsitsipas tops Red Group with Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev. 

Three former Nitto ATP Finals titlists are in the field: Djokovic, Medvedev and Tsitsipas. The draw was held at Intesa Sanpaolo Headquarters in Turin.

SINGLES

Green Group
Rafael Nadal (1)
Casper Ruud (3)
Felix Auger-Aliassime (5)
Taylor Fritz (8)

Red Group
Stefanos Tsitsipas (2)
Daniil Medvedev (4)
Andrey Rublev (6)
Novak Djokovic (7)

The doubles draw was also revealed Thursday. Top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski, who in Paris clinched the year-end No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Doubles Team Ranking, headline Green Group with Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic, Ivan Dodig/Austin Krajicek and Thanasi Kokkinakis/Nick Kyrgios. Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury lead Red Group with Marcelo Arevalo/Jean-Julien Rojer, Lloyd Glasspool/Harri Heliovaara and Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos.

DOUBLES

Green Group
Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski (1)
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic (4)
Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek (5)
Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios (8)

Red Group
Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury (2)
Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer (3)
Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara (6)
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos (7)

British lefty Jack Draper has done his talking on the court this season, earning victories against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime en route to his current career-high No. 41 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

The 20-year-old is competing at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals this week, earning his maiden match win on Wednesday. But what is Draper like off-court? ATPTour.com caught up with him to find out.

If you weren’t a tennis player, what job would you want and why?
I would be a detective. I’ve always been fascinated by crime. In a good way, of course. I feel like it would be quite an adrenaline rush of a job. And I like that sort of stuff. I like a lot of crime shows, but I’ve got nothing left to watch. I think I’ve completed it.

If you could have dinner with three people, who would they be and why?
There are a lot of controversial ones in there. I’d probably say Donald Trump. Conor McGregor. feel like we’ve got to have a comedian in there as well to liven it up a bit. So, I’d probably say Jimmy Carr. I think Trump and McGregor are fascinating people. They obviously got to the pinnacle of what they’ve done. Very successful. I just think it would be a lot of fun.

Describe your perfect day if you are not playing tennis?
My perfect day would be to wake up a bit later. I would see some friends, play a bit of Xbox and chill out, and then definitely as the day goes on, maybe 4pm, go out and have a few drinks. And then maybe have a nice meal and just be with good people and just have a great time.

Having a good solid dinner somewhere. Maybe a curry or something. Just enjoying the moment I suppose.

Who has had the greatest impact on your life and why?
I’d say there are so many people that have had a huge impact on my life, but I guess from a life perspective, not necessarily tennis, I’d say my mum. I love my mum to bits.

She’s everything to me. And she’s taught me pretty much all I know about my values as a human being. And she’s always been incredibly supportive of my journey as a tennis player as well. So she’s given me all these opportunities over the years and hopefully from now on I can start looking after her.

What is the most interesting thing you have done in your life?

I think the most interesting thing in my life compared to a lot of other people’s lives is I’ve had the ability to travel the world.

Whether I’ve gone to good places or not-so-amazing places, I’ve been to so many. I was thinking to myself the other day how many countries I’ve been to, which probably don’t even think about or register in my own mind as I’ve been there. I reckon I’ve probably been to 50-plus countries and experienced a lot of the world in good ways and in bad ways.

So I suppose that’s one thing compared to a lot of other people my age is that and it’s pretty specialist that I’ve been able to travel the world and see a lot of things. It’s amazing.

If you had to choose between attending a music concert or a sporting event, what would you choose and why?
I would go to a football game. Like a Celtic vs. Rangers or Man United vs. Man City or a Man United vs. Liverpool match. I think the atmosphere at a high-level sporting event is something special. As a fellow athlete, it always gives me the motivation to go and see other athletes and high performers do what they do best.

Have you got a hidden talent and can you tell me a bit about how you got into that?
It’s not really talent, but I’m terrible at cards. I’ve just started playing on my recent trips away. And I know cards are a bit of a luck game, but I can’t win anything.
I’m not unlucky anymore. I’m just bad at the game. My hidden talent is, I’m embarrassingly bad at cards.

After a dramatic Day 2 which saw two matches decided in final-set tie-breaks at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, Thursday’s play promises more thrills, with three semi-final places still up for grabs in Milan.

Lorenzo Musetti and Jack Draper will close round-robin play with a winner-takes-all showdown in the Red Group, where the undefeated Dominic Stricker has already clinched first place. Brandon Nakashima is also a perfect 2-0, but could still be pipped by Jiri Lehecka and Francesco Passaro in the Green Group for a place in the semis. Matteo Arnaldi also has a potential path into the knockout rounds.

With several qualifying scenarios in play, a high-stakes day of tennis is on tap at the Allianz Cloud.

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[2] Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) vs. [3] Jack Draper (GBR)

No need for any computations here! This marquee matchup between the two highest-ranked players in the Milan field effectively amounts to a traditional quarter-final: The winner is through to the semis while the loser will head home for the offseason.

The first ATP Head2Head meeting between Musetti and Draper is a rematch of their 2019 Wimbledon juniors quarter-final, which Draper won on home soil en route to the final. This time it will be the Italian with home advantage, though he will have to overcome disappointment and fatigue from a late-night, five-set defeat to Stricker on Tuesday.

Draper enters Day 3 on the heels of his first Milan victory, a 1-4, 4-2, 4-3(2), 4-2 result against Chun-Hsin Tseng which eliminated the sixth seed from semi-final contention. After losing the opening set for the second straight match, the Briton used a mid-set pep talk to turn the tables.

“It’s a quick format, so you need to be sharp,” he said post-match. “When I sat down for the change of ends at the end of the first set, I had a real go at myself. I said, ‘You’ve got to be sharper, you’ve got to be more switched on and you’ve got to be alert out here’, because it can go very quickly if you’re not quite all there. So, I’m glad I mentally turned things round.”

A quick start could prove critical in quieting the Milan crowd, who have roared in support of the three Italian players competing this week.

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[4] Brandon Nakashima (USA) vs. [8] Francesco Passaro (ITA)

Despite his perfect 2-0 record, Nakashima may still need a result in his final match to reach the semi-finals. But a win for Arnaldi against Lehecka would take the drama out of this match — at least for the American, who would be assured of a semi-final place in that scenario.

In all likelihood, only a heavy defeat would put Nakashima in danger of a shock exit. After two days of play, the fourth seed matches Stricker with a tournament-best 6-2 set record, but holds a better games-won percentage than the Swiss after wins against Arnaldi and Lehecka.

Passaro, who saved three match points to defeat fellow Italian Arnaldi on Wednesday, currently sits third in the Green Group but could still finish top if he follows an Arnaldi win with a victory of his own on Day 3.

[5] Jiri Lehecka (CZE) vs. [9] Matteo Arnaldi [ITA]

Lehecka, thanks to his straight-sets win against Passaro on Tuesday, is in second place in the Green Group. A victory in three or four sets against Arnaldi would clinch his progress to the semi-finals, though a five-set win could leave him in danger of elimination by percentage of games won — provided Passaro scores a straight-sets victory against Nakashima.

For Arnaldi, there is only one path to the semi-finals. The Italian must defeat Lehecka in Thursday’s opening match and receive help from Nakashima with a win against Lehecka. In that scenario, Nakashima would win the group, with Arnaldi moving into second.

[6] Chun-Hsin Tseng (TPE) vs. [7] Dominic Stricker (SUI)

Stricker earned his semi-final berth the hard way by completing an upset double against Draper and Musetti, the two highest-ranked men in the field. All eight of the sets contested by the Swiss have been decided in tie-breaks as he beat Draper in three and Musetti in five.

While Stricker cannot be knocked off his perch atop the Red Group, Tseng will be motivated to finish his Milan campaign on a high note after two straight-sets defeats. The 21-year-old is the second Asian man to compete at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, following 2017 champ Hyeon Chung.

Dominic Stricker became the first player to book his spot in the semi-finals at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals Wednesday when he overcame Lorenzo Musetti 4-3(5), 4-3(6), 3-4(7), 3-4(6), 4-3(3) in a late-night Milan thriller.

The Swiss lefty downed Jack Draper in his opening match on debut in Milan and backed up that win with an aggressive performance against Italian Musetti. Stricker struck his topspin forehand with precision and showcased his fighting spirit, saving two set points in the second-set tie-break before eventually triumphing after two hours and 28 minutes.

The lefty squandered one match point in the third-set tie-break, but regrouped to hold his nerve in the decider, blasting an array of winners to upset the home favourite Musetti in a match that will go down in tournament history.

The seventh seed Stricker now holds a 2-0 record in the Red Group and has qualified for Friday’s semi-finals. Musetti will take on Draper on Thursday in the Red Group in a winner-takes-all clash at the Allianz Cloud, with both going 1-1 in their opening matches.

The 21-and-under event plays host to a range of rules and innovations that are not used at tour-level events. One of those is the video review system, which came into force for the first time this week during the clash to see whether Musetti had volleyed the ball before it crossed the net. The outcome indicated Musetti had not.

The 20-year-old Stricker, who fired 20 aces against Musetti, earned four Top 40 wins this season and captured two ATP Challenger Tour titles.

Did You Know?
Dominic Stricker has now won six tie-breaks, having defeated Jack Draper 4-3(5), 4-3(5), 4-3(5) in his opening match.