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Soonwoo Kwon delivered a high-quality display of baseline hitting on Friday at the Adelaide International 2, where he clinched a spot in the championship match with a 7-6(6), 6-7(2), 6-3 semi-final victory against Jack Draper.

The South Korean, who lost to Draper last week as a qualifier in Adelaide, was set to miss out on this week's ATP 250 after a defeat to Tomas Machac in the final round of qualifying. But after finding himself in the draw, he immediately avenged his loss to Machac in the opening round before downing second seed Pablo Carreno Busta and Mikael Ymer to reach the last four.

“It was a very difficult match today," said Kwon when asked about how he had kept going in his two-hour, 45-minute battle with Draper in the Adelaide heat. "I’m just really happy to win today... Last week he played very well, so I tried to just tried to enjoy this match and tried to be positive. I tried to be more aggressive.”

The key to Kwon’s victory in an engrossing semi-final encounter was his consistent clean ballstriking from the baseline, particularly off his forehand wing. The World No. 84 struck 44 winners to his opponent’s 36, and he also excelled whenever he came under pressure on serve — Kwon saved nine of 10 break points he faced en route to levelling his ATP Head2Head series with Draper at 1-1.

After gaining payback on Draper, he is through to his second ATP Tour final after his 2021 title run in Astana (then Nur-Sultan). Kwon is the first lucky loser to reach the final in Adelaide's tournament history, with six editions of the event played since 2020.

Anybody who follows professional tennis with even moderate diligence already knows the basics of what occurred last year. “Break Point,” the Netflix series that becomes available Friday, fills in some of the gaps behind those bare results -- the hows and whys. What’s happening inside the brain of, say, Taylor Fritz or Ajla Tomljanovic or Paula Badosa when they’re under duress?

“It’s so much of a mind game,” Break Point showrunner Kari Lia said. “I hadn’t really appreciated that. And the difference between who wins and who loses is so often about what’s going on in their minds. I found that fascinating.

“And when you watch the show, we really explore that -- what’s going on mentally.”

The interviews, generally speaking, offer a far more honest appraisal of players’ thoughts than we’re accustomed to seeing in post-match press conferences. We see them off the court, celebrating victory, grappling with defeat, eating meals with their families, talking strategy with their coaches, receiving insight from their managers. Combined with play-by-play commentary and observations, primarily from Chris Evert, Paul Annacone, Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick, Box to Box Films weaves a jaunty, colorful narrative.

This series is the tried-and-true formula for sports coverage: the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat. This will be more of a revelation to the casual fan, unfamiliar with the degree of difficulty the sport presents.

Cameron Norrie still feels right at home in Auckland. After growing up in the city in New Zealand, he reached his first ATP Tour final there in 2019. Now, he hopes to go one step further by winning his fifth tour-level title at the ASB Classic.

The multinational Norrie, who plays under the British flag, was cheered on by his "home" crowd as he earned a 6-3, 6-4 semi-final victory against Jenson Brooksby on Friday. He will meet Richard Gasquet in Saturday's final, after the Frenchman advanced via walkover when countryman Constant Lestienne pulled out with a pectoral strain.

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Norrie improved to 6-0 on the 2023 season with a convincing victory against the tricky Brooksby, who was making his Auckland debut. 

"It was an absolute battle with Jenson. A lot of long rallies and I know how well he competes, so it was nice to get it done in straight sets," said Norrie, noting that he failed to close out his previous two matches in straights after claiming the opening set. 

In 2016, Daniil Medvedev and Joris De Loore met in the St. Remy Challenger final. While both men were ranked outside the Top 150 at the time, their career trajectories took very different paths.

Medvedev won that meeting on French soil and collected his lone Challenger title several years before winning the 2021 US Open and becoming the sport’s top-ranked player the following year.

De Loore’s journey has been a difficult, injury-plagued career that forced him to stop playing tennis for two years (2019-2020). The Belgian underwent seven surgeries on six different body parts.

“Over seven consecutive years, every year I’ve had a surgery,” De Loore said. “The last surgery was at the end of 2020, my left hip. If I had to tell you all my injuries, we’d be here for an hour!”

Carlos Alcaraz was the breakthrough star of 2022, transitioning from 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals champion to the No. 1 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by September. It is no surprise that his peers want a closer look at the Spanish superstar.

Several players at the Break Point launch on Thursday evening said that they would love to see Alcaraz on the Netflix tennis series in the future.

“I think it’s the cop out answer but I’d love to see Carlos,” Taylor Fritz said.

“I think Carlos is going to obviously be a fun one,” Matteo Berrettini added. “He’s a fun guy, a lot of energy, good vibes, and obviously No. 1 in the world.”

WTA star Ajla Tomljanovic concurred, saying “I think it would be cool if we had Carlos Alcaraz.”

Matteo Berrettini’s high-powered game has taken him as high as No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as well as to a Wimbledon final, with the Italian’s fearsome serve and forehand two of the most exhilarating shots in the modern game.

Yet Berrettini’s on-court intensity contrasts starkly with his demeanour off court, where he is an easy-going, warm and charming presence on Tour. Now one of the focal points of Netflix’s new documentary series Break Point, ATPTour.com takes a look at five things you may not know about the charismatic Italian.

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1. His Younger Brother Jacopo Inspired Him To Come Back To Tennis
Berrettini stopped playing tennis when he was six years old as he preferred swimming and especially judo. It was his younger brother Jacopo who asked Matteo to try the sport again a couple of years later and the Italian has not looked back since. The brothers have even played doubles together on the ATP Tour.

“‘My whole family played tennis,” Berrettini explained to Head.com. “My parents were members of a tennis club in Rome but at first I didn’t really love it that much… But when I was eight my little brother Jacopo, who was already playing tennis, told me ‘Come back. Try again. You’ll like it.’ And so I did, and I never stopped."

He may still only be 22 years old, but Felix Auger-Aliassime is already a well-established member of the global tennis elite. Since making his ATP Tour debut as a 17-year-old in 2018, Auger-Aliassime has thrilled crowds around the world with his clean hitting and athleticism, all while maintaining a collected on-court demeanour.

The engaging Canadian now stars in Netflix’s new documentary series Break Point, which went behind the scenes of a 2022 season that proved to be the most successful of Auger-Aliassime’s young career. Now, ATPTour.com digs out five things you might not know about one of the coolest customers on Tour.

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1. He Is A Talented Pianist.
Auger-Aliassime is one of a number of budding musicians on the ATP Tour. The Canadian still enjoys sitting down at the piano at his parents’ house in Montreal and has posted demonstrations of his skills on Instagram in the past. Life on Tour can make it difficult to keep up a regular practice schedule, but Auger-Aliassime’s essential skills are deep-rooted.

I used to [play] as a kid,” said Auger-Aliassime in 2019. “Maybe that's my artistic thing. I haven't been playing in a long time, because I'm always on the road, but whenever I have a chance, I like to play a little bit."

Casper Ruud continued his ascent in 2022, advancing to his first two Grand Slam finals and reaching the championship match at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Fans will be able to take a behind-the-scenes look at the Norwegian's year by watching Netflix's Break Point, which premieres on 13 January. Ruud spoke to ATPTour.com about his experience working with the Netflix crews, the one place he did not allow them to go, and how F1: Drive To Survive changed his driver preferences.

What was the experience always having a crew around?
They are asking for a lot and I gave them what I feel comfortable with. You won’t see me in my hotel rooms and so on, too much in my personal life, because it’s not something I’m too comfortable sharing.

They were there when I made both finals this year in Grand Slams, which I’m sure they have caught some good moments on tape. In the Slams they tended to film me in my warmups and we like to play a lot of games with footballs and stuff. I hope that they caught some of the members of my team screwing up the soccer tricks. That is what I’m hoping for a lot and that I can do all the tricks perfectly and that all my team members can do them wrong!

Where did you come up with those games?
It’s just challenges, really. Any trick or move that is challenging to try to make, making it look simple. That’s sort of what Roger has done in tennis. He’s made it look simple and it’s not, so if you can do that, it means you’re good and I’m not sure if I can do that in soccer, but some juggling and dribbling I can do, I’ve learned to do. It’s not world-class material, I would say. But for me, I’m happy with it.

Judging by the Netflix Break Point launch on Thursday evening in Melbourne, the tennis docuseries is going to be a smash hit.

Players — both those featured and others competing in the Australian Open — joined invited guests for an early look at the first episode of the series, which officially premieres on 13 January.

Of the featured players in the show, Matteo Berrettini, Taylor Fritz, Nick Kyrgios, Frances Tiafoe and Ajla Tomljanovic were in attendance. They then joined together for a celebration of the historic series inside Rod Laver Arena.

Others in attendance included Holger Rune, Patrick Mouratoglou, Sam Groth, Alicia Molik, boxer Michael Zerafa, Break Point executive producer Paul Martin and Netflix Director of Documentary Series Gabe Spitzer.

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After a historic year for Chinese men’s tennis in 2022, the momentum continued Thursday at the 2023 Australian Open.

The 17-year-old #NextGenATP star Shang Juncheng showed few nerves in the final round of qualifying for the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne, where he downed Zsombor Piros 6-3, 6-4 to reach the main draw.

Shang, who in 2022 competed in his first three ATP Tour main draws in Rio de Janeiro, Indian Wells and Miami, broke the World No. 171 Prios three times en route to a 77-minute victory to reach the main draw in his first Grand Slam qualification bid.

“I think overall I’m just very happy and excited about what’s coming next,” said Shang, who will take on Germany’s World No. 74 Oscar Otte in the first round in Melbourne. “These three rounds I’ve given 100 per cent and I think I did very well at controlling my emotions after each round. It’s my first time playing Grand Slams, and I’m just super excited about what’s coming next in the main draw, and I’ll try my best to win.”

Remember the name: ?? Shang Juncheng

The 17-year-old qualifies for the main draw in his Grand Slam debut!#AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/028yxZ1yYq

Tennis fans have been eagerly anticipating the year's first major, and with the draw now set, it's clear that the Australian Open will provide fireworks from Day 1.

Thursday's draw ceremony revealed a host of marquee matchups in the men's singles opening round, including Matteo Berrettini taking on Andy Murray and Andrey Rublev squaring off with Dominic Thiem.

ATPTour.com breaks down five matches to watch in the first round Down Under.

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[13] Matteo Berrettini (ITA) vs. Andy Murray (GBR)

Murray has a chance for instant Grand Slam revenge after a closely contested four-set loss to Berrettini at the 2022 US Open. Berrettini also defeated Murray in the Stuttgart final last season, and will bring a 3-1 ATP Head2Head edge into their Melbourne meeting. Murray's lone win against Berrettini came in 2019 (Beijing).

The ATP and Nilox have today announced a global partnership, which sees the Italian E-Scooter and E-Bike brand become an Official Partner of the ATP Tour from 2023.

Nilox, part of the Esprinet Group, offers a range of two-wheel electric personal mobility devices that are sustainable, practical and fun. The ATP Tour will offer Nilox a year-round global platform to showcase its brand and promote sustainable and healthy living choices for people and the environment.

In parallel to the global Tour partnership, Nilox will become an Official Partner of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia and the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell from this season. Nilox will receive on-court and on-site exposure to promote its brand and innovative E-Scooters and E-Bikes.

This marks a first play in professional tennis for Nilox, building on an impressive portfolio of partnerships with leading sports organisations.

“Sustainable personal mobility is a key part of minimising the environmental impact of travel,” said Daniele Sanò, ATP Chief Business Officer. “We’re delighted to partner with Nilox, a true leader in this space, as we continue our focus on reducing travel emissions across the ATP Tour. It’s key to build alliances with like-minded organisations and to raise awareness around this important topic.”

Rafael Nadal will face a difficult opening test at the Australian Open against British lefty Jack Draper, while Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios are in the same quarter of the draw, it was revealed Thursday afternoon at Melbourne Park.

Defending champion Nadal will need to be sharp from his first match against Draper, a 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals competitor. The 21-year-old, who owns two Top 10 wins, has made a quick start to his season. The World No. 40 will compete in the Adelaide International 2 semi-finals on Friday.

“It’ll be amazing to play on court with him, he’s a great champion," Draper said. "[There are] a lot of emotions obviously when I think of playing him, but that’s one thing, I’ve still got to go and play tomorrow and hopefully do well in this tournament first.

“Whatever happens, it’ll be a special occasion for me, still very young in my career, so it’s great to have these sort of experiences and exposure to playing someone like Rafa on a big court like that. But I want to play really well and I want to compete hard and do the best I can."

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Cameron Norrie is two wins away from capping a perfect start to the season with a title in New Zealand, the country where he was raised. Seeded second at the ASB Classic in Auckland, he improved to 5-0 on the year with a 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-2 victory against Marcos Giron in Thursday's quarter-finals.

Norrie has now won four straight three-setters dating back to his triumphs against Rafael Nadal and Taylor Fritz at the inaugural United Cup. But he was disappointed to have to play a deciding set after a fast start against Giron.

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"I came out firing and really was enjoying my level and playing well," he assessed. "I made it really tricky for myself, played a loose game to start the second set. Just a lack of concentration. I was able to come back and then he played a better tie-break than me, he was more aggressive and he executed better. He deserved it. 

"Then I came out  [in the third set] and played kind of similar to the first set and took it to him, and exposed his backhand."

They say revenge is best served cold, but Jack Draper was in no mood to wait during the hot Australian summer.

One week after losing to Karen Khachanov in Adelaide, the 21-year-old Briton snapped back at the same venue with a 6-4, 7-6(3) win on Thursday at the Adelaide International 2. The victory earns Draper his second ATP Tour semi-final appearance.

Aggressive from the first ball with his first-strike tennis, Draper saved the only break point he faced until he stepped to the line to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second. After a loose game gave new life to the third-seeded Khachanov, a visibly frustrated Draper regrouped to finish the match in straight sets.

"In the last game I got a bit nervous, but that's part of the game," the lefty said in his on-court interview. "I'm still young, I'm still learning from these things."

The crucial point of the tie-break came at 2-1, when Draper defended from corner to corner, ultimately drawing an error to claim a mini-break. This time he would not let the lead slip, mixing in a serve-and-volley to close out a tie-break in which he won all five of his service points.

It lasts but a second or two. But it’s one of the most iconic sounds in the world of entertainment: The distinctive Netflix ‘Ta dum’ theme tune.

But would you recognise it if imitated by the ATP pros who are the stars of the new Netflix series Break Point, which premieres 13 January? And who would nail it best?

In this case, a player who typically lets his racquet do the talking was the one to steal the show…

Paid actors, or tennis players? Listen up, then you decide ?

Break Point, out on Friday.
⁰@netflix | @WTA pic.twitter.com/1hzN4YFgdj

Social media lit up in praise of the performance of Norway's Casper Ruud, who is in contention to climb to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at the Australian Open.

Felix Auger-Aliassime enjoyed the best season of his career in 2022, winning his first four ATP Tour titles and qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals.

The Canadian's success was documented by the crews of Netflix's Break Point, which will premiere on 13 January. ATPTour.com caught up with Auger-Aliassime to speak about the experience of filming the show, the 2022 moment that gave him "a mixed feeling", and what he has been watching on Netflix.

What was the whole experience like with the cameras and everything involved with filming?
It was very natural. They were very [good at] making us at ease. [It was] on our schedule and [we were] doing it at the time we wanted, so for me it was easy to adapt. It wasn’t too difficult. I think it’s going to make a great show, and I think we gave them some good content.

For me the main goal is that it can help tennis. It can help tennis overall. That would be amazing if we could see a rise in the number of fans and attention for our sport by airing this series.

You are a very easy-going guy, but were there ever any times when you wished the cameras weren’t there?
When they were, it felt good. It was not like I ever didn’t want them there. I tried to be also true to myself, before matches and after matches, but it kind of felt like it was just a bird watching, or somebody watching from the outside and you were just doing your thing, being yourself, staying natural.

When Nick Kyrgios steps on court, it’s hard not to sit up and take notice. Possessing a huge game and an even bigger on-court personality, the 27-year-old Australian is one of the ATP Tour’s most natural entertainers.

A seven-time ATP Tour titlist who reached the final at Wimbledon in 2022, Kyrgios is now one of the stars of Netflix’s new behind-the-scenes tennis series Break Point. ATPTour.com runs down five things to know about the Australian crowd favourite.

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1. The Boston Celtics’ Biggest Fan?
Kyrgios makes no attempt to hide his love for basketball. The Australian tweets regularly about the sport, particularly his beloved Boston Celtics, and often trains wearing basketball attire. But what about his own playing skills?

"I’m LeBron James," joked Kyrgios when asked to rate his own game by ATPTour.com in 2019. "I’m the best basketball player of the tennis players, hence I’m LeBron.” While some of his rivals on the ATP Tour may have something to say about that, Kyrgios continues to work on his skills whenever he has time for a game on Tour.

Casper Ruud enjoyed a breakout season in 2022, climbing as high as No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and reaching his first two Grand Slam finals at Roland Garros and the US Open. By his side throughout his journey has been his father and coach, Christian Ruud.

With the first five episodes of Netflx's Break Point set for release on 13 January, ATPTour.com spoke to Christian about the experience of working with the Netflix crews, Casper's rise, and trash-talking on the golf course.

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Do you remember when the idea of Netflix cameras following Casper came up? What was it like to know your son would be featured?
We didn’t think that much. We all saw Formula 1: Drive To Survive, so we kind of [pictured] it was going to be something similar and I think everyone that watched Drive To Survive knew it was a success and it was fun to watch.

On the other hand, I think it was difficult to do the same in tennis. It’s tough to get so close after maybe a tough loss and everything, so I think everyone was kind of curious how it would be. I think we’ve been part of it and we have enjoyed it. I think maybe we were one of the players who didn’t have them too close, so I think Casper is more comfortable with the way he’s been doing it and being a little bit private on top of being on the show, showing of course preparation for matches and maybe during the matches and so on.