Hyeon Chung made history on Saturday in Milan, becoming the first champion of the Next Gen ATP Finals. The 21-year-old Korean defeated Andrey Rublev 3-4(5), 4-3(2), 4-2, 4-2 to earn his maiden ATP World Tour title. He completed an undefeated 5-0 campaign in the Italian city, streaking past Denis Shapovalov, Daniil Medvedev, Gianluigi Quinzi and top seed Rublev twice to lift the trophy. How momentous was Chung's victory? We dive into the five things to know about the #NextGenATP's triumph... [ALSO LIKE] (1) Korea's Newest Champion Chung became the first player from South Korea to hoist an ATP World Tour singles trophy since Hyung-Taik Lee captured the 2003 Sydney title (d. Ferrero). It was also his first final appearance, with...
Quick to distance himself from the resurgent success Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have enjoyed this season, Alexander Zverev is content to be the chaser on debut at this year’s Nitto ATP Finals, the leader of the baying pack behind the Top 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. At just 20 years old, the German is arguably the most hyped of the chasers in 2017. On Sunday night, he will gain his first taste of competition under the lights of the O2 arena. His opponent, No.5 seed Marin Cilic, has been here twice before, although he will carry nerves of his own having claimed just one of his six matches at the season finale. View FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup for...
“The Professor” is now at the top of the #NextGenATP class. South Korea's Hyeon Chung won the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals championship on Saturday night, beating top seed Andrey Rublev of Russia 3-4(5), 4-3(2), 4-2, 4-2 to celebrate his maiden ATP World Tour crown in Milan. “I'm just really, really happy, because, I don't know, I really don't know how I won here in Milan,” Chung said. “[It was a] really tough match tonight against Rublev. He was better than the last time [we played]. So I was just trying to play my best.” The 21-year-old Chung became the first South Korean to hoist an ATP World Tour singles trophy since Hyung-Taik Lee captured the 2003 Sydney title (d....
David Goffin started 2017 with every indication of reaching the Nitto ATP Finals. As of 15 May, the nimble Belgian was fourth in the Emirates ATP Race to London as a result of an early-season run of form. Reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, finals in Sofia and Rotterdam and further strong results on clay in Monte-Carlo and Madrid, Goffin seemed en route to qualifying for the season-ending championships for the first time, having played one match as an alternate last year (l. to Djokovic.) But at Roland Garros, his season – and his ankle – took a turn. After an unfortunate slip on the backcourt rain tarps in his third-round encounter with Horacio Zeballos, Goffin’s season stalled, forcing...