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Fils faces tough group in Jeddah

Posted: Dec 15, 2024

The world’s leading 20-and-under players learned their group fate for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF on Sunday evening, when the official draw was conducted in Jeddah.

Arthur Fils, a three-time ATP Tour titlist, is the top seed and leads Blue Group. The 20-year-old Frenchman will be joined by Jakub Mensik, Learner Tien and Joao Fonseca. Alex Michelsen is the second seed at the year-end event and heads Red Group, which will also feature Shang Juncheng, Luca Van Assche and Nishesh Basavareddy.

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At No. 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Fils comes into the tournament as the strong favourite and with a much higher ranking than Blue group rivals Mensik (48), Tien (122) and Fonseca (145). But Fils is expected to face a tough time in his group. He suffered a 6-0, 6-4 defeat to Fonseca in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year. Mensik has one of the most explosive and dangerous games of any player at the tournament , having earned four Top 10 wins in 2024 and Tien comes in with hot form, winning three Challenger Tour titles this season.

Michelsen (41) and Shang (50) both sit inside the Top 50 in the PIF ATP Rankings. They have never faced off but will fancy their chances of advancing to the semi-finals, ranked more than 70 places above Van Assche and Basavareddy. Shang won his maiden ATP Tour title in Chengdu in September, while Michelsen reached finals in Newport and Winston-Salem in 2024.

Van Assche, currently No. 128 in the PIF ATP Rankings, and World No. 138 Basavareddy make up Red Group. Van Assche reached the third round at the Australian Open in January, while Basavareddy has lifted two ATP Challenger Tour trophies since October.

The Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF begins on Wednesday, with the final on Sunday 22nd December. The round-robin stage will be held from Wednesday to Friday, with the semi-finals on Saturday. The title match will occur at 8 p.m. local time (6 p.m. CET) on Sunday 22nd.

Hyeon Chung, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Brandon Nakashima and Hamad Medjedovic have all triumphed at the event.

Blue Group: Arthur Fils (1), Jakub Mensik (3), Learner Tien (5), Joao Fonseca (8).

Red Group: Alex Michelsen (2), Shang Juncheng (4), Luca Van Assche (6), Nishesh Basavareddy (7).

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Van Assche, Fonseca step out for Sunday practices in Jeddah

Posted: Dec 15, 2024

Anticipation is building for the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, where some of the contenders at this year’s 20-and-under event hit the practice courts Sunday.

Luca Van Assche sparred with alternate Martin Landaluce at King Abdullah Sports City as he gears up for his second Jeddah campaign. The Frenchman, currently No. 128 in the PIF ATP Rankings, reached the semi-finals in 2023, and he will this year compete as the sixth seed in the city on the Red Sea.

Joao Fonseca is one of five debutants in the Jeddah field this year. The 18-year-old, who is the first Brazilian to qualify for the event since it began in 2017, also practised on Sunday afternoon with tournament hitting partner Rafael Jodar. Jakub Mensik and Shang Juncheng followed Fonseca onto court for an all-Top 50 practice, with the in-form Nishesh Basavareddy set to hit later with 18-year-old Spaniard Jodar.

<img alt=”Joao Fonseca” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/12/15/12/44/fonseca-next-gen-2024-sunday-practice-volley.jpg” />
_{^{Joao Fonseca in action on the practice court on Sunday in Jeddah. Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour.}}

Van Assche, Fonseca, Mensik, Shang and Basavareddy, as well as Arthur Fils, Alex Michelsen and Learner Tien, will find out their group-stage opponents when the draw takes place on Sunday from 8 p.m. local time (6 p.m. CET/12 p.m. ET).

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