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When it comes to mastering the unique scoring format at next week’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, Dominic Stricker may be able to turn to his love of golf for help.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Stricker recently told ATPTour.com after being asked about the fast-paced first-to-four-games set structure used at the 21-and-under event. “Because you really have to forget what happened maybe five minutes ago. If you don’t forget it, you’ve already lost the next set.

“It’s maybe a bit like golf. If you play one hole really bad, you just have to accept it and go to the next hole because if you don’t, a lot could go wrong.”

As well as the time he has spent on the golf course, the 20-year-old lefty Stricker will hope that the experience of training with ATP Tour legend and countryman Roger Federer can benefit him in tough moments during his upcoming Milan campaign.

“It is lucky,” said Stricker’s coach, Sven Swinnen, who spent two years as Federer’s classmate and daily practice partner at the Swiss national federation when the pair were in their teens. "Roger invited Dominic to Dubai twice already to do some practice, some pre-season stuff, so that was really helpful. Roger knows us now pretty well and we got some really good tips from him.”

A lightning-fast start set the tone for Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters, where the World No. 1 won nine of the first 10 games en route to a 6-1, 6-3 third-round victory against Grigor Dimitrov.

Alcaraz was dialled-in from the start in his maiden ATP Head2Head meeting with the former World No. 3 Dimitrov. Striking the ball cleanly off both wings from the baseline and deploying his drop shot to good effect throughout, the Spaniard converted five of seven break points against the Bulgarian’s serve to wrap an impressive 72-minute win.

“I started playing pretty well,” said Alcaraz after the match. “[Grigor’s] level is very much not the level you saw today, but I played very well. At the end of the second set, it was tougher for me, he came back, he raised the level and obviously it was tough. He had the chance to go up in the second set, I had to stay calm in that moment and show my best to not allow him to go up.”

In a near-flawless opening, Alcaraz’s all-around game left the former World No. 3 Dimitrov with few chances to counter. The Spaniard dropped just two points behind serve in the first set as he picked up where he had left off in his straight-sets second-round win against Yoshihito Nishioka.

Dimitrov found his feet to reel off three straight games from 0-3 to draw level in the second set before carving out two break point opportunities for a 4-3 lead, but Alcaraz’s relentless consistency proved crucial. He held off the Bulgarian’s charge to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time in Paris, where he will take on seventh seed Andrey Rublev or Holger Rune.

Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos are the sixth team to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played from 13-20 November at the Pala Alpitour in Turin. The Spanish-Argentine tandem will make its third consecutive appearance at the season finale.

Granollers and Zeballos advanced to the semi-finals of the year-end championships in 2020 and 2021, falling to the eventual champions on each occasion.

It has been a consistent season for the Spaniard and Argentine, who lifted their seventh ATP Tour trophy as a team in Halle. It is the fourth consecutive year in which they have earned at least one crown at an ATP 500 event or above.

Granollers and Zeballos thrived at the Grand Slam championships this season, reaching the final at Wimbledon and the semi-finals at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

It is Granollers’ seventh appearance at the year-end championships. In 2012, he won the Nitto ATP Finals with Marc Lopez.

#NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti earned his first Top 5 win Thursday when he upset World No. 4 Casper Ruud 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The 20-year-old played with confidence throughout the two-hour, 19-minute clash in the French capital, striking 37 winners as he pulled the Norwegian from corner to corner to reach his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

"I am really happy," Musetti said. "I think we played a great match until the end. A lot of remarkable shots from his side. He was playing really well and I had to play my best tennis to beat him. I am really happy that all the hard work I am doing keeps improving me. I am really proud of this win."

[ATP APP]

Musetti, who entered the match holding a 0-6 record against Top 5 players, will next play sixth-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic or Karen Khachanov. He is making his second appearance in the French capital, having advanced to the second round last year.

The ATP and Italian Tennis Federation (FIT) on Thursday announced the new innovations and rules for the 2022 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, the 21-and-under season finale to be played from 8-12 November in Milan.

The event, created to spotlight tennis’ rising talents, continues to evolve. Several of this year's innovations and rule changes are designed to enhance the flow of the game, including a quicker shot clock and one sit-down per set, while other innovations include off-court coaching and in-game analytics for players and coaches.

Look for the following at the Allianz Cloud in Milan in 2022:

Quicker Shot Clock

The time in-between points will be shortened to 15 seconds (from the standard 25 seconds) if the server hits an ace, a double fault or if the returner misses the return through forced or unforced error.

One Sit-Down Per Set

Novak Djokovic has been the Prince Of Paris in recent years, winning 15 of his past 16 matches and taking the title in his past two appearances in 2019 and 2021. But on Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters the Serb runs into the only player he’s fallen to during that streak: Karen Khachanov.

The 38-time ATP Masters 1000 champion holds a 7-1 Head2Head advantage over his rival, but a straight-sets defeat in the 2018 final in Bercy, where Khachanov claimed his lone Masters 1000 trophy, surely still gives Djokovic some indigestion.

The record holder of 373 weeks as No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings is aiming for his fourth victory over Khachanov this season (Dubai, Belgrade, Astana). He is also chasing his fifth title of the year after triumphs at Rome, Wimbledon, Tel Aviv and Astana, the latter two coming in consecutive weeks. The indoor hard-court event in France presents a new challenge, even for the six-time champion.

“The conditions are different,” Djokovic said following his opening match against Maxime Cressy. “From last year, it’s quicker. The balls are fast and they go through the court. It makes it more challenging to break serve.”

Khachanov, World No. 19 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, will rely on his heavy first delivery and firepower from the baseline to try his hand at another upset in the French capital in the fourth match on Court Central.

Rafael Nadal struck a positive tone following his early exit at the Rolex Paris Masters, looking forward to his 11th appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, which begins 13 November. The Spaniard has always kept perspective after defeats, and that held true on Wednesday after a 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-1 loss to Tommy Paul in what was Nadal's first match as a father.

"I'm excited about playing [in Turin], even if it hasn't been the perfect couple of months for me, of course," said Nadal, who will be seeking his first title at the ATP Tour's season finale. "But, yeah, nothing to lose. After a good year, going there, just trying my best."

[ATP APP]

While Nadal has spent time on the practice court since the US Open and competed in doubles alongside Roger Federer at the Laver Cup, he has lacked the usual routine of life on the ATP Tour.

"At the end, I need days on the Tour," he said in a press conference. "It's true that for the last five months I didn't spend enough days on the Tour. I don't even say competing on a tennis court; I say on the Tour, practising with the guys. That's what I need. I am going to try — [if] nothing happens, if I am feeling OK — to be there [in Turn] a little bit earlier than usual and have some practices. 

Tommy Paul earned the biggest win of his career by defeating new dad Rafael Nadal on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters. With his 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-1 victory, the American denied the World No. 2 a potential return to the top of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings — a title run for the Spaniard combined with a third-round exit for Carlos Alcaraz would have seen Nadal move past his countryman at the summit.

"It's probably my best win," Paul said post-match. "I was obviously pumped for the matchup because it's always interesting when you play one of the Big Three. I've only played him the second time, but the first time I was so nervous. It was weird, this time I wasn't really nervous. I was pretty relaxed going onto the court and the day before. I think that played a role. I came out playing pretty well. He got the first set, but I feel like I played pretty well from the jump."

After a late start to the Paris evening session, Paul trailed by a set and a break before an instant reply saw him break Nadal at love for 2-2 in the second. The American began to dictate from there, creating three further break chances with his aggressive baseline game before sealing the set in the tie-break.

"I thought when I was making my first serve, I was playing well," said Paul, who made 67 per cent of his first deliveries in the second set. "I had a lot of fun out there. It was probably the best I've played in the past three months. I know it's been a slow Europe swing for me, so I'm pumped to get that W."

.@TommyPaul1 played some very aggressive and effective tennis tonight, especially in the 3rd set ?#InAttack shows the percentage of shots played in attack #TennisInsights | @RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters https://t.co/sUjlNhMnKw pic.twitter.com/SevikAetf7

After seeing a match point of their own go begging in the second set, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury had to fend off a match point to survive on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Facing the French duo of Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul in front of the Paris crowd, the top seeds won the final three points of the match to secure a 7-5, 6-7(4), 11-9 victory and advance to the quarter-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event. After Ram/Salisbury claimed the first break of the match to seal the opening set, they had a chance to finish the match on a deciding point on return at 5-4 in the second but could not convert.

The American-British duo rescued the Match Tie-break from 6/8, winning five of its final six points to become the first team to reach the quarters.

[ATP APP]

Daniel Evans and John Peers also advanced via a Match Tie-break on Wednesday, reaching the second round with a 3-6, 6-4, 10-5 win against Maxime Cressy and Gonzalo Escobar. Matthew Ebden and Jamie Murray joined them with a 6-2, 7-6(1) win against Frenchmen Richard Gasquet and Quentin Halys, making it two Australian-British teams in the win column on the day. For Murray, the victory moves him to 499 career doubles wins.

The singles field for the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals is set. Felix Auger-Aliassime and Andrey Rublev on Wednesday claimed the final two spots for the season finale, which will be played at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 13-20 November.

Auger-Aliassime and Rublev join Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev in the Turin field.

Four of this year’s singles competitors — Alcaraz, Nadal, Djokovic and Medvedev — have reached No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Djokovic, Tsitsipas and Medvedev have previously won the Nitto ATP Finals. Five-time champion Djokovic can tie Roger Federer’s record of six season finale triumphs.

There is also a surge of rising stars at the year-end championships, with six of the eight competitors — excluding only Djokovic and Nadal — aged 26 or younger. All six of those players have previously qualified for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals.

Tsitsipas is the only player who has won the 21-and-under season finale and the Nitto ATP Finals in back-to-back years (2018-2019). Alcaraz will attempt to match the feat this year.

With his position atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on the line this week at the Rolex Paris Masters, Carlos Alcaraz opened his campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Yoshihito Nishioka on centre court. The Spaniard must reach the quarter-finals to guarantee a stay as World No. 1, with Rafael Nadal within striking distance should he win the title at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

"First round in every tournament is never easy," Alcaraz said after the victory, during which he had his left knee taped as a precaution at the close of a gruelling season. "You have to be really focussed, you have to try to get good rhythm, good feeling in the first round. I'm really happy with the performance, the level that I played, and I'm looking forward to getting better in the next round."

[ATP APP]

The 19-year-old was sharp in his first ATP Head2Head meeting with Nishioka, firing 30 winners and winning 11 of 12 net points in the one-hour, 12-minute contest. He hit nine aces in a strong serving performance, though he lost the only break point he faced as his Japanese opponent converted to level the opening set at 4-4.

Alcaraz responded with an immediate break back before serving out the opener, and used a finishing flurry to close out the match, winning 12 of the final 14 points. He recorded five love holds, including in his final service game, winning 85 per cent (29/34) of his first-serve points.

Felix Auger-Aliassime produced a remarkable recovery to fend off Mikael Ymer and extend his winning streak to 14 matches on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

After dropping the first set against the Swede, Auger-Aliassime faced two break points when trailing 1-4 in the second set as Ymer looked set to snap his opponent’s unbeaten run in style. Yet the Canadian dug deep to hold his serve before roaring back to complete a thrilling 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(6) triumph in three hours and 30 minutes at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

"Somehow I found a second wind after saving those break points at 4-1,” said Auger-Aliassime after the match. “I played better and better, coming through the court much better, serving better. It was pretty epic. Three hours and 30 minutes on the court, quality rallies. He was making me work all the time. Definitely a win to remember.”

Felix. Auger. Aliassime. ?@felixtennis rallies from 6-7 1-4 down to defeat Ymer in 3 hours 30 minutes!#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/JAlsZVSpV9

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 2, 2022

Currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, the comeback win could be crucial for Auger-Aliassime’s hopes of qualifying for November’s Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. The Canadian could face one of his rivals for a qualifying spot at the season finale, eighth-placed Taylor Fritz, in the third round in Paris if the American can defeat home favourite Gilles Simon later on Wednesday.

Down an early break in the third set against Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters, Alex de Minaur appeared to have let his early momentum slip.

Yet the Australian hung tough to roar back and clinch a dramatic 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 second-round upset in style at the ATP Masters 1000 event in France. De Minaur wore down the 2020 champion and 2021 finalist Medvedev with a combination of relentless retrieving and nerveless serving at big moments, saving 12 of 15 break points he faced.

“It’s a good one to get, for sure,” said De Minaur. “It’s the end of the year, everyone’s a bit tired, but I’m very proud of my performance. I just played very smart. I knew it was going to be a chess match out there, both baiting each other to be aggressive, but you also didn’t want to be too aggressive at times. It was an absolute battle and I’m very happy I was able to come out on top.”

De Minaur rallied from 0-2 in a topsy-turvy final set before he let slip two match points in an epic 10th game. Despite that disappointment, he was again aggressive on return at 6-5 and a Medvedev double fault on match point at 30/40 confirmed the biggest win of the World No. 25’s career.

[ATP APP]

When Tommy Paul played Rafael Nadal earlier this year in Acapulco, it was the first time he had faced a member of the legendary ‘Big Three’. In what seemed like a flash, the American trailed 0-6.

“I was so nervous [in] the first set. I lost the first set 6-0 and I was like, ‘I don’t think I’m going to get a game’,” Paul, who eventually lost 0-6, 6-7(5), told ATPTour.com. “I ended up starting [to] play really, really good tennis. He’s fun to play against.”

Not many players describe facing Nadal, one of the toughest competitors in the history of sport, as “fun”. But the 25-year-old is no stranger to standing across the net from the Spaniard.

“I practised with him actually three days ago,” Paul said. “I practise with him quite a bit, so it should be a fun match.”

[ATP APP]

The world’s best 21-and-under players will compete at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan next week, with home favourite Lorenzo Musetti and Dane Holger Rune leading the eight-man playing field.

Here is what you need to know ahead of the event in Italy.

When is the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals?

The 2022 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen Finals will be held from 8-12 November. The indoor hard-court event, established in 2017, will take place at the Allianz Cloud in Milan. The tournament director is Ross Hutchins.

What is the format & who is playing at the 2022 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals?

The event in Milan will see eight 21-and-under players divided into two groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals. Matches are played best of five sets and first-to-four games. Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune, Jack Draper, Brandon Nakashima, Jiri Lehecka, Chun-Hsin Tseng, Francesco Passaro and Dominic Stricker will compete.

When is the draw for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals?

The Milan draw will be made on Saturday 5 November at 12:00 p.m.

What is the schedule for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals?

* Main Draw Round-Robin Matches: Tuesday 8 November – Thursday 10 November at 2: 00 p.m., second match n/b 3:00 p.m.. Evening sessions at 7:30 p.m., followed by second match.
* Semi-final One: Friday 11 November at 7:00 p.m.
* Semi-final Two: Friday 11 November n/b 9:00 p.m.
* Final: Saturday 12 November at 9:00 p.m.

View On Official Website

What is the prize money for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals?

The prize money for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals is $1,400,000.

Undefeated Champion: $432,750
Final Win: $153,000
Semi-Final Win: $113,500
Each Round-Robin Match Win: $28,000
Participation Fee: $82,250
Alternate: $13,000

How can I watch the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals?

View TV Schedule

How can I follow the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals?

Hashtag: #NextGenATP
Facebook: Next Gen ATP Finals
Twitter: @nextgenfinals
Instagram: @nextgenfinals

Who won the last edition of the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in 2021?

Carlos Alcaraz won the 2021 singles title in Milan with a 4-3(5), 4-2, 4-2 victory against Sebastian Korda in the championship match (Read & Watch).

Who holds the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals record for most titles, oldest champion, youngest champion and more?

Most Titles, Singles: Hyeon Chung (1), Stefanos Tsitsipas (1), Jannik Sinner (1), Carlos Alcaraz (1)
Oldest Champion: Hyeon Chung, 21, in 2017
Youngest Champion: Jannik Sinner, 18, in 2019, Carlos Alcaraz, 18, in 2021
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 15 Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2018
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 95 Jannik Sinner in 2019
Last Home Champion: Jannik Sinner in 2019
Most Match Wins: Alex de Minaur (8)

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

In a memorable tournament debut, Holger Rune saved three match points — two in the second set and another in the third — in a comeback win against Stan Wawrinka to close Tuesday's play at the Rolex Paris Masters. In a two-hour, 30-minute contest that finished after midnight on Court 1, the Dane battled back for a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) victory to continue his blistering form on the ATP Tour.

A finalist in three of his past four events, including a title run in Stockholm, Rune has now won 14 of his past 16 matches. It's a stretch that earned him his debut in the Top 20 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, as he began this week as the World No. 18.

[ATP APP]

Rune lost the opening set against Wawrinka on a late break, and the Swiss again threatened a decisive closing blow at 5-4 in the second. But Rune saved two match points to start a run of three straight games and force a decider. There was just one break point on offer in the final set, and it doubled as a match point with Rune serving to stay alive at 5-6.

The 19-year-old stood firm to hold and won his final eight service points as he ran away with the tie-break. Through to the second round, he will face 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz on Wednesday. The Pole was a 7-6(5), 6-4 winner against French wild card Adrian Mannarino earlier on Tuesday.

Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini kept alive their bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals with an opening-round win on Tuesday at the Rolex Paris Masters. The Italians earned a 7-6(5), 6-3 result against Santiago Gonzalez and Lukasz Kubot as they seek to improve upon their 10th-place position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

Bolelli/Fognini will need to finish in the Top 7 to guarantee their place in Turin.

In the Paris opening round, the Italians twice battled back from a break down in the opening set before winning the tie-break from 2/4. A single break decided the second set, with the breakthrough coming in the sixth game before a pair of love holds from Bolelli/Fognini finished the match.

After winning the lone doubles match on Tuesday at the ATP Masters 1000 event, the pair will face Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop in the second round.

As Felix Auger-Aliassime closes on a maiden berth at the Nitto ATP Finals, the qualifying scenario for the Canadian in Paris this week is simple: Keep winning.

The 22-year-old has been doing a lot of that lately, amassing a 13-match win streaking that he will take into his second-round clash with Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer on Wednesday. Leading Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz and Hubert Hurkacz in the battle to claim the last two spots in Turin, Felix is already highly likely to qualify, but he can make a certainty of it by going deeper in the draw than at least two of his rivals.

Four of the Top-5 seeds are also in action Wednesday, including World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and 22-time major champion Rafael Nadal.

[ATP APP]

Felix, who boasts a 53-24 match record in 2022, has won four titles this season (Rotterdam, Florence, Antwerp, Basel), all of which have come on indoor hard courts. The Montreal native collected a trio of titles before arriving at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris and now the eighth seed looks to continue his hot streak.

Playing for the first time since winning back-to-back indoor titles in early October, Novak Djokovic extended his win streak to 10 with a clinical victory against Maxime Cressy on Tuesday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

In a 7-6(1), 6-4 win against the Paris-born American, Djokovic was imperious on serve, which freed him up in his attempts to unlock Cressy's booming delivery. The Serbian finally made his breakthrough on return to lead 5-4 in the second set as he converted on his fifth break point before serving out the match with ease.

"It was very intense, just a lot of pressure," he said post-match. "When you play someone that serves this well — first and second serve — you don't have much room to relax and maybe play kind of a softer few games. You just have to be on your toes all the time. Credit to him for serving big in some big moments. I had my chances [in the] first set to break him, second as well.

"A break came at the right time, perfect time actually. I was very pleased with the way I held my serve, didn't face a break point," he added, noting the fast conditions that made it even harder to return.

[ATP APP]

Even after 21 years as a touring pro, Rafael Nadal still finds it difficult to leave his home on the idyllic Spanish island of Mallorca. But this week’s journey to the Rolex Paris Masters is tougher than normal, with the 22-time major champion having to leave behind not only his wife, but, for the first time, their new-born son.

“It’s a different approach compared to usual,” Nadal said. “Always has been tough to leave home. It's quite interesting how even after two or three weeks, to leave your son at home and not be able to see him, it's interesting how even after only three weeks knowing him, you start missing him.

“All the changes are difficult in this life, and you need to adapt to it. It's at the same time true that we are lucky today that, with technology, we can do video calls any time you want, so that always helps.”

[ATP APP]

As the Spaniard turns his attention to the indoor hard court event in the French capital, the World No. 2 looks to this season’s haul of four titles, including the Australian Open and Roland Garros crowns. Nadal is seeking his first Rolex Paris Masters title. Should the 36-year-old claim the title in Paris, he will make up ground on countryman Carlos Alcaraz in the battle for year-end No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Rankings.