The hottest young stars of the ATP are in Milan for the NextGen ATP Finals. Day one round-robin action features No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz taking on Holger Rune and No. 2 seed Sebastian Korda battling Hugo Gaston.
In keeping with tradition, the NextGen ATP Finals use a completely unique set of rules. The format is best-of-5 sets, first player to 4 in each set wins (tiebreaker at 3-3) with no-ad scoring. The 2021 edition also features timed bathroom breaks (3 minutes only!) and on-court coaching.
(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. (7) Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune
Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz is now ranked high enough to earn a seed at slams. He sits at a career-high 32nd in the world, thanks in part to his impressive quarterfinal run at the U.S. Open. Like his countryman Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz’s preferred surface is clay but he is no clay-court specialist. He moves almost as well on hard courts as he does on the dirt, although his game is still developing on grass.
Holger Rune is still green enough that he spends at least half his time on the Challenger circuit attempting to plump up his ranking. The young Dane garnered attention at the U.S. Open a couple of months ago by taking a set from Novak Djokovic. And while that isn’t newsworthy on its own, Rune was ranked 145th at the time.
Although both men are age 18, Alcaraz has far more big-match experience. The Spaniard has already won an ATP tour title, while Rune is still trying to break into the top 100.
Cheryl pick: Alcaraz in 3
Ricky pick: Alcaraz in 4
(2) Sebastian Korda vs. (8) Hugo Gaston
Hugo Gaston comes into Milan off the tournament of his young life. The Frenchman delighted the home crowd in Paris last week with a run from qualifying all the way to the quarterfinals. For his efforts, Gaston finds himself at a career high 67th in the world–a major coup given that to this point he has spent most of his time on the Challenger tour.
Sebastian Korda has been teetering on the edge of a big breakthrough all year. The American is ranked 39th in the world, but most of his ranking points came in the first half of the season. Since his bizarre 5-set loss to Karen Khachanov at Wimbledon–a match that featured a record 13 breaks of serve in the 5th set–Korda has been slightly off.
The good news for Korda is that he played well in Paris last week. He dispatched Aslan Karatsev and Marin Cilic before succumbing to Daniil Medvedev in the third round. He is the more experienced player and Gaston may well be fatigued from his efforts in Paris just a few days ago.
Cheryl pick: Korda in 4
Ricky pick: Korda in 4
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Alcaraz in 3; Korda in 4.