ATP NextGen Finals: Minaur out shortly before semifinals and Davidovich Fokina
Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud both won their two games at the ATP NextGen Finals in Milan in Group A in the second Round Robin round. While Australian Minaur are almost certainly qualified for the semi-finals, Ruud and Miomir Kecmanovic are still struggling to qualify for the top four talents of the year in the final round. By contrast, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is already out.
by Robert M. Frank
last edit: Nov 06, 2019, 08:07 pm
Group A presented in the Day session on the second day of the ATP NextGen Finals in Milan in the afternoon. Alex de Minaur (ATP 18) was particularly pleased in the second Round Robin round at the 1.4 million indoor hard court tournament in northern Italy. On Tuesday's opening victory against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ATP 87), the 20-year-old Australian defeated fellow-aged Serb Miomir Kecmanovic (ATP 60) with another success. The three-time ATP tournament winner had at the end of four sets (each without advantage scheme and only up to four are played) the nose ahead. The number one listed Minaur in Milan won 4: 1, 4: 3 (4), 1: 4, 4: 0.
A game earlier, Casper Ruud (ATP 56) and Davidovich Fokina had been responsible for the longest match in the history of the ATP NextGenFinals. The two-hour and 16-minute duel between the Norwegian and the Spaniard was decided by Ruud, who was more experienced on the ATP Tour. The right-handed player from Oslo won 3: 4 (2), 4: 3 (2), 4: 2, 3: 4 (2), 4: 1.
Minaur is enough for a set win
Thus, the starting situation in Group A before the last round on Thursday is still open. While de Minaur has the best cards and only needs one set win in the game against Ruud for a successful semi-final qualification, the other duel for Kecmanovic is about everything. The right-handed player from Belgrade can only win a ticket to the semi-finals with a win against Davidovich Fokina. In addition, the Serb must simultaneously hope for a similar outcome of the other game (either a victory of de Minaur or a possible narrow victory of Ruud).
Fokina, meanwhile, can not reach the semi-final after a defeat from his previous two matches, even with a victory at the end.