Francesco Passaro started the season outside the Top 600 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Eleven months on and the Italian arrives at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals at a career-high No. 119.

The 21-year-old is one of three Italians competing at the event and will be aiming to impress on home soil in Milan. Passaro spoke to ATPTour.com ahead of his second Green Group match, sharing his interests and aims.

If you weren’t a tennis player, what job would you want and why?
A football player. When I was younger, I played football and [wanted to be] a professional or to be a manager in sports.

If you could have dinner with three people, who would they be and why?
Roger [Federer] Because he is my idol. I mean, he is the god of tennis. Lionel Messi, because of what he’s done. The third [would be] an actor. To have a different kind of conversation.

Describe your perfect day if you are not playing tennis?
I would be with my family, with my girlfriend and with my friends. I like to watch a TV series, so would watch Peaky Blinders. I would have some dinner out. Maybe go and have a walk. I like also to go shopping in the city. I like fashion.

Who has had the greatest impact on your life and why?
My family and my coach. This year a lot of things have changed now. At the beginning of the year, I was 600 in the world. Now I’m 119. It’s a big change. It is good to have their support.

What is the most interesting thing you have ever got to do in your life?
I had the chance to meet a lot of great people. When I was younger I played football. Doing the things of every younger guy. Also playing video games.

Brandon Nakashima survived a five-set thriller against Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi to earn an opening win on Tuesday in his return to the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. In a battle of 21-year-olds in Milan, the American saved five set points to avoid going two sets down before prevailing 2-4, 4-3(7), 4-3(4), 3-4(4), 4-2.

In a back-and-forth contest in the Green Group, Nakashima let slip a 3-1 lead in the fourth set but regrouped to claim the fifth, closing out the victory in two hours and 10 minutes.

“It kind of took me a little while to get used to the new format, the new conditions out here,” Nakashima said post-match. “Right from the beginning it was a lot of critical points, the sets were going by fast, so I just tried to adapt as quick as possible. The tie-breaks, I was kind of lucky to squeeze them out and today I think it was just all about finding a way out here. He’s a super tough opponent, he was playing really well, and it was just some critical points in the end that helped me get over the line.”

A semi-finalist last year at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, Nakashima joins Lorenzo Musetti in bidding to become the first player to win the Milan title in his second appearance. The American peaked at No. 43 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last month after winning his first ATP Tour title in his home city of San Diego.

It was Arnaldi — a native of Sanremo — who had the home advantage in Milan.

“It was tough,” Nakashima said of facing an opponent backed by the Italian crowd. “Either way, whoever the crowd’s cheering for, it’s always fun to play in front of them. The Italian fans, they get very electric during these events. I’m happy to be back here and play in front of them. It’s super exciting.”

While Arnaldi was the last man into the Milan field, the Italian proved he belonged with an aggressive display against Nakashima. There was no shortage of highlights from the classy Italian, particularly in the early stages as he made a bright start in search of his first tour-level win. Entering the showcase event at a career-high of No. 138 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Arnaldi’s only previous tour-level match came in Rome earlier this season.

Both Nakashima and Arnaldi entertained the Milan crowd with aggressive tennis, combining for 69 winners (Arnaldi 36, Nakashima 33). Only two points separated the competitors overall, with Nakashima winning 98 to Arnaldi’s 96.

The American’s victory takes him to second in the Green Group, with Arnaldi now in third place following the narrow defeat. Nakashima will next face group-leader Jiri Lehecka on Wedneday, while Arnaldi meets fellow Italian Francesco Passaro.

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The Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals spotlights the best 21-and-under tennis players in the world. Popular 35-year-old Italian Fabio Fognini might be more than a decade removed from that classification, but he was thrilled to be at the Allianz Cloud on Tuesday with wife, WTA legend Flavia Pennetta.

“It’s nice. Milan, it’s a really beautiful city,” Fognini said. “For the tennis, especially because we are in Italy, it’s really important for us to have these kind of [Italian] guys who are on the top of the world [playing].”

🇮🇹 @fabiofogna supporting @Lorenzo1Musetti 👍@intesasanpaolo #NextGenATPFinals pic.twitter.com/eRHsO2WHba

— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) November 8, 2022

There are three Italians in the field: Lorenzo Musetti, Francesco Passaro and Matteo Arnaldi. Another Italian, Jannik Sinner, won the 2019 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. Fognini watched countryman Lorenzo Musetti from courtside Tuesday.

“It’s always nice. I always say that the more we are, the better it is,” Fognini said. “There are three Italians, Lorenzo [Musetti], [Francesco] Passaro and Matteo [Arnaldi]. It’s really important for us.”

Fognini added that it is key not just to have successful Italian players, but prestigious tournaments in the country to continue encouraging juniors to pick up the sport.

“It’s quite important to have these kind of events because of course you have a chance [for] young guys to play,” Fognini said. “But at the same time [you have] young guys who are on top of the world and they play really well. It’s really, really nice and of course my opinion it’s fantastic. It’s a great event.”

Jiri Lehecka celebrated his 21st birthday in style at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals Tuesday when he cruised past Francesco Passaro 4-1, 4-3(7), 4-1 to move to 1-0 in Green Group.

The Czech is making his debut in Milan and made a strong opening statement at the 21-and-under event, quickly adapting to the first-to-four, best-of five set format to triumph after 67 minutes.

“I have never played a match in this format before,” Lehecka said. “In the beginning I was getting used to it a little bit. I think I adapted well. We have used this format in practise and I got used to it pretty fast and it was fun.”

Lehecka pulled Passaro around the court with his consistent groundstrokes, firing 18 winners and breaking serve three times. With just 15 seconds between points following aces or missed returns, he also raced through his service games to earn victory.

The World No. 74 has enjoyed an impressive season. He reached the semi-finals as a qualifier in Rotterdam in February, before he clinched an ATP Challenger Tour crown in August.

Lehecka will also play American Brandon Nakashima and Matteo Arnaldi during the round-robin stage in Milan. Nakashima will face Arnaldi on Tuesday evening in Green Group.

Passaro held a 29-15 record on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2022, lifting a trophy in Trieste.

Jiri Lehecka couldn’t stop smiling when he sat down inside the Allianz Cloud ahead of his debut at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

The Czech qualified for the 21-and-under event last month following an impressive season that saw him reach the semi-finals in Rotterdam and win an ATP Challenger Tour event. Ahead of his opening match in Milan, the 21-year-old Lehecka spoke to ATPTour.com about his interests, dream dinner guests and much more…

If you weren’t a tennis player, what job would you want and why?
I think I would go to business school first. Then I would probably still be in tennis. I would be in the sport as a coach or in a business role within the sport.

If you could have dinner with three people, who would they be and why?
I would choose Michael Jordan. Then I would choose Conor McGregor and probably my grandpa who [passed away].

I think Michael Jordan because of his sporting mentality. What things he was able to sacrifice for the success in what he was doing. McGregor, I would say that with him, I would love to speak about handling the pressure.

Describe your perfect day if you are not playing tennis?
I would probably spend some time with family. With my girlfriend, with my sister and her husband and their kids for sure. The I would see some old friends and then probably one or two games of League of Legends with my coach.

Who has had the greatest impact on your life and why?
My coach, Michael Navratil. He showed me how it is to be a man, how to go after what you really want. How to stay focused. How to become a top tennis player. And then of course my parents, both of them.

What is one thing you want to do in your life?
I would definitely love to drive World Rally Cars. Or the cars going at fast speeds through the forest. I hope this will happen once for me to, to live this experience.

What is one item you can’t travel without and why? If you could live one day as another person, who would you choose and why?
Any kind of book. I think this is a very important thing to have. It is important to read.

If you had to choose between attending a music concert or a sporting event, what would you choose and why?
It depends on the artist and the sporting event. Because if you have the final of the Champions League and at the same moment you have a concert with a big artist it is hard.

I think that big sporting events will have a priority. I was born and raised in a family where we were watching and followed all the sports when I was a kid. I like to support a Czech athlete. The sport could be an NBA game or game seven of the final of NHL would be good.

Have you got a hidden talent and can you tell me a bit about how you got into that?
I think that I can read through people. This I can do pretty well. I’m still exploring myself as well. I am 21, so still have plenty of time to find some hidden talents.

When American Ben Shelton fell short in the Tiburon Challenger final this past month, the teenager left California frustrated that he had lost in all three ATP Challenger Tour finals in which he had competed this year. But a new mindset aided Shelton this week as he grabbed his maiden Challenger crown.

Shelton, who is one of five Challenger champions this week, defeated close friend Christopher Eubanks 7-6(4), 7-5 in the final at the Jonathan Fried Pro Challenger in Charlottesville, Virginia to capture his long-awaited title.

“I started to realise that when I looked back on the film, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was,” Shelton said. “I really tried to focus on the things I can control, stop worrying about the little things such as how well I’m hitting my forehand and instead just compete really hard.”

After runner-up finishes in Rome (Georgia), Chicago, and Tiburon, the 20-year-old dropped just one set all week in Charlottesville en route to the title. The former University of Florida standout is the fifth player to win the NCAA singles title and a Challenger title in the same season and the first since Steve Johnson in 2012.

“I went in [to this week] with a mindset that I was going to out compete everybody,” Shelton said. “I was going to bring more energy than everyone I played. I think that was a really big part of my success this week.”

Ben Shelton celebrates winning his first ATP Challenger Tour title. Credit: Allen Hoover

Shelton is the third #NextGenATP American to claim a Challenger title this year (Zachary Svajda, Emilio Nava). The lefty rises to a career-high No. 128 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

In Charlottesville doubles action, Britain’s Julian Cash and Henry Patten triumphed to win a season-leading seventh Challenger title, the first time a duo has captured more than six Challenger titles in a season since Max Purcell and Luke Saville (7) in 2019.

In Bergamo, Italy, Finland’s Otto Virtanen advanced through qualifying en route to claiming his maiden Challenger title, defeating Jan-Lennard Struff 6-2, 7-5 in the final at the Trofeo Perrel – Faip.

The 21-year-old is the first Finnish Challenger champion since Emil Ruusuvuori in 2019. Virtanen is just the second player from Finland to win a Challenger title in the past 10 years.

“I had a chance of not even coming here,” Virtanen said. “I played the doubles final Saturday in Brest and I had to fly here to play my first match Sunday. Day-by-day, I kept playing better.”

Otto Virtanen is crowned champion in Bergamo, Italy. Credit: Antonio Milesi

Virtanen, who was competing in his first Challenger final, was a semi-finalist at the Surbiton and Liberec Challengers earlier this season. Virtanen joins a strong list of former champions in Bergamo including the previous three titlists: Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner, and Matteo Berrettini.

The title at the indoor hard court event lifts the #NextGenATP youngster to a career-high 195.

German Daniel Altmaier completed his run of capturing back-to-back titles at the Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil. The 24-year-old, who won the Lima Challenger a week prior to Sunday, took down Federico Coria 6-2, 6-4 to extend his match-winning streak to 10.

Daniel Altmaier triumphs at the Guayaquil Challenger. Credit: Jose Alvarado

“This week was very positive for me,” Altmaier said. “I finished today with the title and that makes me very happy. I played against Coria last week and I felt quite comfortable. I had a good plan to play until the last point so I was always fighting, playing well until I won.”

Altmaier, who also won the Heilbronn Challenger in May, is one of five men to claim a trio of Challenger titles this season: Quentin Halys, Constant Lestienne, Luca Nardi, and Wu Yibing. Pedro Cachin and Jack Draper have claimed a season-leading four Challenger titles.

At the NSW Open in Sydney, Australia, Yu Hsiou Hsu earned his maiden Challenger title. The 23-year-old from Chinese Taipei defeated home favourite Marc Polmans 6-4, 7-6(5) in the final.

Hsu, who is a three-time Grand Slam boys’ doubles champion (2017 Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open), was competing in just his sixth Challenger event of the season. Hsu didn’t drop a set all week en route to the title and climbs to a career-high 226.

Australian Christopher O’Connell took down home hope Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 to win the Yokohama Keio Challenger.

Chris O’Connell in action at the 2022 Yokohama Challenger. Credit: Yokohama Keio Challenger

“Obviously I’m pretty happy,” O’Connell said during the trophy presentation. “This is my fourth Challenger win, it’s always good to get the win, especially in Japan, I love playing here.”

O’Connell, who has won eight of his past nine matches, is a three-time Challenger finalist this season, including in Split, Croatia, where the Aussie won his first of two titles this year. At his home Slam in January, the Sydney native upset 13th seed Diego Schwartzman before falling to Maxime Cressy in the third round. The title in Japan lifts the 28-year-old to a career-high 84.

Did You Know?
Holger Rune won the Rolex Paris Masters to become the second player this season to win a Challenger and a Masters 1000 title, joining Borna Coric. Coric’s title in Cincinnati marked the first time the feat has been done since 1993, and now the Danish teen and the Croat have combined to make history.