Friday night’s semi-finals on the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals offered by NEOM will see a pair of first-time Lexus ATP Head2Head conferences. First is an all-French battle between Arthur Fils and Luca Van Assche, adopted Hamad Medjedovic vs. Dominic Stricker.
[1] Arthur Fils (FRA) vs. [2] Luca Van Assche (FRA)
Prime seed Fils and second seed Van Assche performed as soon as earlier than on the junior stage, in 2021. Within the closing of Roland Garros, their dwelling Grand Slam, Van Assche earned a straight-sets victory. By turning into the primary Frenchmen to achieve the semi-finals within the six-year historical past of the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals, they’ve arrange one other high-stakes encounter in Jeddah.
Fils enters as winner of the Inexperienced Group with an ideal 3-0 document. This 12 months’s Lyon champion leads the sphere in each second-serve factors received (60%) and return video games received (9 of 35, 26%). Van Assche, who completed second within the Purple Group at 2-1, is second in return video games received (9 of 37, 24%) however has confronted a tournament-high 37 break factors, saving 31 of them.
With three matches below their belts, each gamers at the moment are accustomed to the improvements and new guidelines on trial on the occasion — together with no on-court warm-up and a lowered shot clock.
“It’s thrilling to have new guidelines and I’m adapting after three matches,” Van Assche stated. “I believe many of the guidelines are fairly cool. The no warm-up is a bit tough.”
[3] Dominic Stricker (SUI) vs. [6] Hamad Medjedovic (SER)
Whereas Stricker and Medjedovic aren’t countrymen, their relationship goes again a few years to their early junior days.
“I’ve identified Dominic for a very long time,” Medjedovic stated after beating Arab hope Abdullah Shelbayh to safe his semi-final place. “He’s an important participant and an important man clearly. I believe it’s going to be an important match and I’m joyful to be within the semis.”
The Serbian leads the Jeddah area in numerous key metrics on each serve and return, together with aces (45), service video games received (37 of 39, 95%) and factors received in opposition to first serve (32%). These numbers added as much as an ideal 3-0 document and a first-place end within the Purple Group.
Stricker posted a 1-2 document within the Inexperienced Group and superior with a greater share of units received (45%) than Italians Flavio Cobolli and Luca Nardi, who have been additionally 1-2. Whereas he has not sustained prime kind up to now in Jeddah, he has the benefit of expertise: The lone returning competitor at this 12 months’s Subsequent Gen ATP Finals, Stricker additionally reached the semis final season in Milan. He has picked up appreciable big-match expertise since then, with a run to the US Open fourth spherical that helped him obtain a career-high Pepperstone ATP Rating of No. 88 in October.
For all of the top-level matches the 4 Jeddah semi-finalists have performed this season, none have had the chance to compete below the intense lights of the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals title match. That reward — an opportunity to place the proper cap on a breakout season — is on the road Friday evening.
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