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Sebastian Baez made a winning start to his Tennis Napoli Cup campaign on Wednesday when he moved past Italian Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 7-6(3) to reach the second round.

In a tight match, the Argentine broke twice and struck 23 winners to advance after two hours and 15 minutes at the ATP 250 event, improving to 1-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against Sonego.

The sixth seed, who snapped an 11-match losing streak, will next face Chinese qualifier Zhizhen Zhang or Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.

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In other action, Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena defeated Chilean Nicolas Jarry 6-4, 6-4, while Corentin Moutet edged #NextGenATP Italian Luca Nardi 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 6-2 in three hours and 32 minutes.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is the ultimate “closer” when serving this season.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings from the 2022 season identifies the Greek as the leading player who holds serve the most after building at least a two-point lead in his service games. Tsitsipas has surged to a 30/0, 40/0, and 40/15 lead 946 times this season and has only dropped serve seven times from these three specific point scores. It’s a jaw-dropping stat, especially considering it does not add up to getting broken even one percent (.007%) of the time.

A “closer” is a specialized baseball pitcher brought in toward the end of the game when his team is leading. His job is to convert the lead into a victory. Tsitsipas perfectly fits the bill from a tennis serving perspective.

Stefanos Tsitsipas: 2022 Season

• Holding from 30/0 - 4 service games lost from 366.
• Holding from 40/0 - 0 service games lost from 269.
• Holding from 40/15 - 3 service games lost from 311.
• Combined - 7 service games lost from 946.
• Combined Hold Percentage - 99.3%

Jack Draper will be the first Briton to compete in the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. The lefty on Wednesday qualified for the 21-and-under season finale, which will be played in Milan from 8-12 November.

The 20-year-old entered the season with two tour-level wins, but has tallied a 16-9 tour-level record in 2022 to establish himself as a star on the ATP Tour. Draper joins Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune in the Milan field. BUY TICKETS NOW

The Briton was the No. 265 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at the start of the year. He has climbed as high as World No. 46, a bigger jump than anyone else in the Top 50.

Draper won four ATP Challenger Tour titles early in the year and never relinquished his momentum. The lefty served his way to his first ATP Tour semi-final in front of his home fans in Eastbourne before bursting through at the ATP Masters 1000-level in August in Montreal, where he made the quarter-finals as a qualifier.

During his run in Canada, Draper stunned World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 20-year-old continued his ascent at the US Open, where he made the third round with an upset of Felix Auger-Aliassime.

With his back against the wall Wednesday, Cameron Norrie found a way to reach the quarter-finals at the Stockholm Open.

The second seed trailed Aslan Karatsev 2-4 in the third set but rallied to advance 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-4 at the ATP 250 event. Norrie will next play #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune or Cristian Garin. The 27-year-old is aiming to win his third tour-level title of the season in Sweden after triumphing in Delray Beach and Lyon.

"It was a tough match," Norrie said. "Every time Aslan was down he raised his level and he really stole that first set from me. I had a couple of set points and I didn't execute as well as I could have done in the tie-break. I stayed solid and I was a bit frustrated in the third set but I managed to claw it back. I feel good and fresh."

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In a dramatic match, Norrie recovered from squandering a set point in the first set as he played consistently and patiently from the baseline in the second and third sets to turn the clash around and advance after three hours and two minutes.

Daniel Evans wasted little time reaching the quarter-finals at the European Open on Wednesday when he cruised past Frenchman Constant Lestienne 6-2, 6-1 in Antwerp.

The fifth seed looked in control throughout the 75-minute match, winning 82 per cent (18/22) of his first-serve points and breaking five times to earn his 27th tour-level win of the season.

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The Briton now leads Lestienne 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, after winning their previous meeting in San Diego in September. Evans, who is currently No. 24 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will next face second-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime or Frenchman Manuel Guinard. Guinard defeated countryman Geoffrey Blancaneaux 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

The 32-year-old is making his second appearance at the ATP 250 event, having reached the semi-finals in 2020. Earlier this season, Evans enjoyed runs to the last four in Sydney, San Diego and an ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal.

Former singles World No. 19 Xavier Malisse retired in 2013 after winning three ATP Tour singles titles in a 16-year career. The Belgian also won nine doubles titles and reached a career-high of No. 25 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings.

The 42-year-old returned to the ATP Tour last year at the European Open in Antwerp, reaching the semi-finals alongside Lloyd Harris. Malisse is again competing at the ATP 250 event in his home nation this season, this time with Diego Schwartzman.

Malisse and Schwartzman made a strong start Tuesday with a 7-6(4), 7-5 win against Raven Klaasen and Marcelo Melo in the opening round. After taking a tight opening set that did not include a break of serve, Malisse and Schwartzman won the final four games of the match to storm through the finish line from 3-5 in the second set, saving four set points as part of the late surge.

They will next face Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp, who scored a 6-2, 7-5 upset against top-seeded Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.

Third seeds Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies also advanced on Tuesday in Antwerp, with the Germans defeating Austrians Lucas Miedler and Alexander Erler 5-7, 7-6(4), 10-6. The British team of Daniel Evans and Jonny O'Mara moved past Serbian twin brothers Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov 6-3, 6-2.

Entering this week at a career high of No. 30 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Miomir Kecmanovic lived up to his lofty ranking with a dominant start at the Tennis Napoli Cup on Tuesday.

The fifth seed dominated Italian wild card Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 6-2 as he continued his strong hard-court form this season. Kecmanovic claimed victory in just under an hour, breaking on four of his five chances while not facing a break point on his own serve. He has earned a personal-best 35 wins on the year, including two semi-final runs.

Seeking a second straight ATP Tour quarter-final after he saved six match points to defeat Daniel Evans and reach that stage in Tokyo, Kecmanovic will next face the winner of the first-round matchup between #NextGenATP Italian Luca Nardi and France's Corentin Moutet.

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The two other seeded players in action on Tuesday were both dismissed. Portugal's Nuno Borges downed seventh seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-5, 7-6(5), while Argentina's Pedro Cachin was a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 winner against eighth seed Adrian Mannarino.

#NextGenATP Swiss Dominic Stricker boosted his Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals chances on Tuesday when he dispatched Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 6-4 in Antwerp.

The 20-year-old came through qualifying at the European Open and backed up that success with a strong performance against van de Zandschulp. Stricker saved all four break points he faced and hit 19 winners to reach the second round after 88 minutes. He will next face Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

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With his victory, Stricker has climbed above Matteo Arnaldi and into 10th place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan. The lefty is currently on 422 points, 23 ahead of the Italian in 11th. With two weeks of the Race to go, 10th place is the expected cut off to qualify for the 21-and-under event.

Stricker will be aiming to have a deep run on debut at the ATP 250 event as he looks to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for the first time. The 21-and-under event will be held at the Allianz Cloud in Milan from 8-12 November.

Alex de Minaur earned his 150th tour-level win on Tuesday when he cruised past Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 6-1 to reach the second round at the Stockholm Open.

The Australian suffered a disappointing first-round exit in Tokyo earlier this month but bounced back in style against Bonzi, striking 19 winners to advance after 77 minutes at the ATP 250 event.

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De Minaur now leads the 26-year-old 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series. The fifth seed, who is making his second appearance in Stockholm, will next play American J.J. Wolf or Slovakian Alex Molcan. The World No. 23 is seeking his second tour-level title of the season this week after triumphing in Atlanta.

In other action, Swiss qualifier Antoine Bellier defeated qualifier Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 6-2 in 82 minutes. The 26-year-old Bellier, who won an ATP Challenger Tour title earlier this season, will next face fourth seed Denis Shapovalov.

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic are the fourth doubles team to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 13-20 November.

The Croatians, who have won five titles together this year, will compete in the year-end championships together for the second consecutive season.

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Mektic and Pavic claimed their first crown of 2022 in May, when they lifted their fourth ATP Masters 1000 trophy as a team in Rome, before earning another clay-court victory in Geneva and grass-court titles at Queen’s Club and Eastbourne. Last week, they captured glory on the indoor hard courts of Astana.

The Croatians also advanced to the final at Wimbledon, where they fell just short of retaining their crown in a fifth-set tie-break. The pair also reached championship matches in Dubai and Belgrade earlier in the year.

Holger Rune continued his strong indoor season with a fast start at the Stockholm Open on Monday. Making his debut at the ATP 250 in Sweden, the #NextGenATP Dane scored a 7-5, 6-2 win against Thiago Monteiro.

The seventh seed did not face a break point in the match and won five of six games to take command from 4-5 in the opening set. He secured his third break late in the second set before serving out the match to love, finishing with a 86 per cent (31/35) win rate on first serve.

Fourth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan, Rune could pass Lorenzo Musetti for third place with a deep run in Stockholm — though the Italian is competing in Naples this week. Both men have secured qualification for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals.

After reaching the Metz quarter-finals and the Sofia final, Rune will seek a third straight indoor quarter-final when he takes on Cristian Garin in the second round. Garin also advanced on Monday with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Aussie Jason Kubler.

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Italian Mattia Bellucci and Australian Li Tu will never forget this week on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Bellucci, 21, advanced through qualifying and dropped just one set en route to claiming the Saint-Tropez Challenger while Tu triumphed at the Seoul Challenger and dedicated the victory to his mother, who recently passed away. Bellucci and Tu were among five champions on the Challenger Tour this week.

On the hard courts nestled in southern France, #NextGenATP star Bellucci defeated countryman Matteo Arnaldi 6-3, 6-3 to capture the Saint-Tropez Open.

“It was an amazing week,” Bellucci said. “I started on Monday, I played every day, seven days, seven matches and with each match, I felt better and better.

The top three seeds in the Tennis Napoli Cup qualifying draw all secured their main-draw spots on Monday, with Nicolas Jarry, Zhang Zhizhen and Francesco Passaro all advancing in Italy.

Third seed Passaro overcame a bagel opening set to defeat fifth seed Filip Misolic 0-6, 6-3, 6-2. The #NextGenATP Italian is in ninth place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan and could move into eighth with an opening-round win against Mackenzie McDonald, depending on other results.

China's Zhang also battled through three sets in a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 win against seventh-seeded Italian Giulio Zeppieri. Seeking to become the first Chinese man to break the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Zhang would accomplish that historic feat with two main-draw wins in Naples. He opens against Marton Fucsovics, who sits at No. 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as of Monday evening.

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Jarry, the top seed in qualifying, earned a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Italy's Raul Brancaccio. The Chilean will meet Roberto Carballes Baena in the opening round.

#NextGenATP Briton Jack Draper boosted his Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals chances on Monday in Antwerp, where he cruised past American Jenson Brooksby 6-1, 6-2.

In a dominant performance, the 20-year-old struck 17 winners and committed just three unforced errors to reach the second round at the European Open after 61 minutes. Draper, who now leads Brooksby 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, will next face top seed Hubert Hurkacz.

“On my service games I was hitting my spots really well,” Draper said in his on-court interview. “I wasn’t missing many returns as well. Jenson is someone who competes really well, so I felt that it was important to get on the front foot and not let him play his game because he is so awkward. I am glad with the way I played.”

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With his victory, Draper has consolidated his fifth-placed position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan. Draper is currently on 945 points, 43 points ahead of sixth-placed American Brandon Nakashima. Draper is aiming to make his debut at the 21-and-under event, to be held at the Allianz Cloud in Milan from 8-12 November. Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune have already qualified.

Felix Auger-Aliassime moved into a qualifying position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin by winning the UniCredit Firenze Open. Now the Canadian has an opportunity to consolidate his standing as he pursues a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The 22-year-old is the second seed at this week’s European Open in Antwerp, where he extend his lead over his closest challengers. Auger-Aliassime (3,065 points) leads eighth-placed Taylor Fritz (2,885) by 180 points and ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz (2,725), the top seed in Antwerp, by 340 points in the Live Race.

"The plan right now is to play every week, to play in Antwerp, Basel and Paris because there are still tournaments to play and the Race is very close," Auger-Aliassime said after his victory in Florence. "There [are] players like Taylor [Fritz] and Andrey [Rublev], and many others are competing hard right now to try and qualify, so I'm going to try to put myself in the best position possible to try and make it to Turin."

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Eight players qualify for the season finale, which will be played from 13-20 November at the Pala Alpitour. Tenth-placed Novak Djokovic (2,720) has claimed his spot in Turin under the Grand Slam champion provision, making seventh place key. The Grand Slam champion provision awards a Nitto ATP Finals entry to a current-year major winner who finishes between eighth and 20th in the Live Race. 

There will be three ATP 250 events this week, with plenty at stake as singles and doubles players alike battle to position themselves for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Hubert Hurkacz and Felix Auger-Aliassime lead the way at the European Open in Antwerp, Matteo Berrettini headlines the field on home soil at the Tennis Napoli Cup and Stefanos Tsitsipas is the top seed at the Stockholm Open.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each tournament.

Draws: Antwerp | Naples | Stockholm

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ANTWERP
1) Felix’s Turin Push: It is another critical week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, with Felix Auger-Aliassime currently in the final qualifying spot for the Nitto ATP Finals. The Canadian, seeded second in Antwerp, will have an opportunity to add to his advantage over eighth-placed Taylor Fritz in Belgium. Auger-Aliassime will play Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech or a qualifier in the second round. He arrived with momentum after lifting his second ATP Tour trophy on Sunday in Florence.

It took Felix Auger-Aliassime nine finals to lift his first ATP Tour trophy. In just his second championship match since, the Canadian added another trophy to his collection.

Auger-Aliassime defeated American J.J. Wolf 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday to win the UniCredit Firenze Open. The top seed lost just one set en route to the trophy, defeating World No. 75 Wolf in one hour and 41 minutes to claim the crown.

"It never gets old. Winning, it always feels like the first time," Auger-Aliassime said in his on-court interview. "It's so special to win, especially here. I had a fantastic week and it's been amazing."

It was a critical week for Auger-Aliassime's hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played in Turin from 13-20 November. One week after Taylor Fritz moved into the final qualifying position by triumphing in Tokyo, Auger-Aliassime surged past the American into seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. He now has a 180-point lead over the American. Tenth-placed Novak Djokovic has claimed his spot in Turin under the Grand Slam champion provision, which awards entry to a current-year major winner who finishes between eighth and 20th in the Live Race.

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Gael Monfils and WTA star Elina Svitolina have become parents after they welcomed their first child into the world, they announced on Saturday morning.

Monfils and Svitolina, who married in July 2021, announced the birth of their daughter Skaï Monfils on social media on Saturday.

“What a night," Svitolina posted on Twitter and Instagram. "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Skaï Monfils ... Can’t thanks enough my husband to live [through] this unforgettable moment with me."

What a night !!!
Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Skaï Monfils ??❤️

Can’t thanks enough my husband to live thru this unforgettable moment with me ❤️ pic.twitter.com/m6CQVDdBV6

Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev also joined the fatherhood club when his wife Daria gave birth to their first child on Friday. Medvedev, who married Daria in 2018, wrote on Twitter: "14.10.2022 Welcome to the world baby girl."

Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin clinched their first tour-level title of the season as a team on Sunday at the UniCredit Firenze Open, where they defeated third seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 7-6(4), 6-3.

The Frenchmen saved both break points they faced in the first set before they rallied from a break down in the second set to triumph at the ATP 250 event in Florence after one hour and 31 minutes.

“We had a great week on the court and off the court,” Mahut said. “It was the first time for me in this city and I enjoyed every moment. I think it was a great event for the first year. Everything was perfect. It is a great achievement to have an eighth title together.”

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Mahut and Roger-Vasselin have now won their past eight matches as a team, having lifted the trophy at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Orleans last week.

Andrey Rublev captured his fourth tour-level title of the season on Sunday when he overcame Sebastian Korda 6-2, 6-3 in the Gijon Open final.

In an entertaining clash, the top seed played aggressively to pull Korda from corner to corner. Rublev struck 29 winners, broke his opponent’s serve three times and committed just four unforced errors to triumph after 77 minutes.

The 24-year-old has boosted his Nitto ATP Finals qualifications chances by lifting the trophy in Gijon. Rublev is currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as he aims to compete at the prestigious end-of-year event - to be held from 13-20 November - for the third consecutive season.

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Rublev enjoyed a strong week at the hard-court event in Spain, defeating Ilya Ivashka, Tommy Paul and Dominic Thiem en route to the final. He then played with confidence against Korda, outlasting the 22-year-old in heavy-hitting exchanges to secure his 47th tour-level win of the year. He now leads the American 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.