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Singles and doubles stars at this year's Nitto ATP Finals came together Thursday night at Nuvola Lavazza in Turin for the official tournament gala dinner. Former champions Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas joined fellow 2022 qualifiers Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Andrey Rublev and Taylor Fritz to meet with VIPs and tournament partners. The game's best eight doubles teams were also on hand for the evening.

The players will come together again on Friday for the official group portrait and other media commitments. The tournament begins Sunday 13 November and runs through 20 November, when the champion of champions will be crowned.

Nadal and Tsitsipas both have a chance to finish the year as No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, with current No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz forced to withdraw from the event through injury.

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Photos: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

After three days of group play at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, the semi-finals are set for Friday in Milan.

Group winners Brandon Nakashima and Dominic Stricker will both look to take their strong form into the knockout rounds after finishing the round-robin stage with perfect 3-0 records. The American will face Jack Draper in a Top 50 showdown while Stricker meets Jiri Lehecka, with both second-place finishers securing their progress with wins on Thursday.

We look ahead with previews of both marquee matchups at the Allianz Cloud.

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[4] Brandon Nakashima (USA) vs. [3] Jack Draper (GBR)

One of two returning players in Milan, along with Lorenzo Musetti, Nakashima has matched his 2021 result at the 21-and-under event by reaching the semis. Set to age out of the competition next season, the experienced American has attacked this year's event with great purpose. He enters his meeting with Draper on the heels of seven consecutive sets won; after a five-set victory against Italy's Matteo Arnaldi in his opening match, he scored straight-sets wins against Lehecka and Francesco Passaro to seal his place atop the Green Group.

The groups for the 2023 United Cup were revealed Thursday.

Spain and Australia are both in Group D in Sydney, where Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios are set to play in an early-season blockbuster. Those two countries will be joined by Great Britain.

The United States, Germany and the Czech Republic will also compete at Ken Rosewall Arena in Group C action, featuring an intriguing clash between Jessica Pegula and Petra Kvitova.

In Brisbane, WTA World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will face off against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in Group A, which features Poland, Switzerland and one other qualifier, to be determined 21 November. Australia’s northernmost State capital will also feature a clash between Casper Ruud and Matteo Berrettini in Group E, which comprises Norway, Italy and Brazil.

In Perth, Group A will feature Greece, spearheaded by Top 5 duo Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, Belgium and a sixth ATP-qualified country and Group F will pit France, Croatia and Argentina against one another.

In a blockbuster winner-takes-all clash at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals Thursday, it was Jack Draper who stepped up and delivered, defeating Italian Lorenzo Musetti 4-1, 4-0, 4-3(3) to reach the semi-finals in Milan.

Draper and Musetti headed into the match holding a 1-1 record in the Red Group, knowing only a win would be enough for them to join Dominic Stricker in the last four. In front of a packed Italian crowd, Draper produced a ruthless display to silence the home supporters, punching holes in the Musetti defence with his fierce groundstrokes to advance.

“Yesterday I played a bit better than my first match and then today I really hit some form,” Draper said. “I played well, served great. Lorenzo is a great player and he may have been a bit tired after his match yesterday, but I am glad with the way I played today.”

The 20-year-old, who is making his debut at the 21-and-under event, flew out of the blocks, hitting his flat backhand through the court. The Italian, who took a tumble at the start of the second set, was unable to handle Draper’s aggressive forehand and swinging lefty serve, with the Briton overpowering the Italian to earn his 19th tour-level win of the season.

With his position atop the Red Group already secured at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, Dominic Stricker stayed red-hot on Thursday in Milan with his third victory in as many days. The Swiss earned a 4-2, 4-1, 4-2 victory against Chun-Hsin Tseng to maintain his perfect record in the group stage, finalising at 3-0.

"It was not easy for me to come out here and play my best again because mentally, of course you're already thinking a bit more of tomorrow, of the semis," Stricker said post-match. "But I think handled it very well, I played a great match and I'm super happy with my performance. Now I can think all about tomorrow."

He will next face Jiri Lehecka, who finished in second place in the Green Group, in Friday's semi-finals.

Each of the first eight sets Stricker played were decided by tie-breaks, including all five against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti on Wednesday evening. But the 20-year-old quickly broke that pattern against Tseng in a match he dominated from start to finish.

Stricker broke at the first opportunity in each set and did not face a break point in sets two and three. The opening set was the most competitive, with Tseng closing to 2-3 by converting on his fifth break point, only to surrender serve — and the set — in the very next game.

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury may not win a multitude of titles in a season, but the trophies they earn usually come at the most prestigious events the sport has to offer. So beware of this pair at the Nitto ATP Finals, where last year they went all the way to the final, falling just short against Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. Expect another big run in Turin this year.

A standout 32-14 record this season has helped Ram and Salisbury qualify for their fourth appearance together at the Nitto ATP Finals. So they come into this year's season finale with strong form and deep confidence.

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“It’s [at the] top of my list as far as favourite events to play,” Ram told ATPTour.com “It’s such a special event to qualify for. We’ve been lucky enough to play it a few times, lost a tough one in the final last year. Just how tennis in general gets showcased, anytime we get to play it’s definitely an honour.”

The American-British team, who are No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, collected three titles this year and continued their trend of winning ‘the big ones’, including triumphing at the ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte Carlo and Cincinnati.

When Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios met in the opening round of the US Open, Kyrgios described it as ‘one of the most uncomfortable matches’ of his career. This time around, the Australians are set to compete in a more comfortable setting: doubles partners at the season-finale Nitto ATP Finals.

Kokkinakis and Kyrgios have always thrived on the big stage and the Aussie pair is anticipating bright lights yet again, this time in Turin, Italy.

“It’s [going to be] a pretty awesome experience,” Kokkinakis said. “I don’t think it’s something we expected coming into the year. To do it with such a good mate, there’s going to be good energy out there.”

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Kokkinakis and Kyrgios made the best possible use of a wild card at the Australian Open, where they collected their maiden major title. In front of an energised crowd in Rod Laver Arena, the pair won the all-Aussie clash between Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell, 7-5, 6-4.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has more than just a title at stake at next week’s Nitto ATP Finals. The Greek star controls his destiny in the battle for the year-end No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking.

If the 24-year-old wins the season finale without losing a match, he will climb to World No. 1 for the first time and finish the year atop men’s tennis’ mountain. However, if Tsitsipas does not go 5-0 at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, he will open the door for Rafael Nadal to return to top spot.

The Spaniard can accomplish the feat by winning the title. If Tsitsipas does not leave Turin as an undefeated champion, Nadal can also return to World No. 1 by advancing to the final after winning all three of his round-robin matches.

Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings

Nadal has finished year-end No. 1 five times previously, most recently in 2019. Accomplishing the feat again this year would put the Spaniard in joint-second for most year-end No. 1 finishes in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history (since 1973) with Pete Sampras (6).

Fans are well accustomed to Lorenzo Musetti's magical backhand, deft touch and explosive forehand, with the Italian soaring to tour-level titles in Hamburg and Naples this season.

But what is the 20-year-old like off court? ATPTour.com caught up with the World No. 23 in Milan to discuss his cooking skills, acting dreams and more...

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If you weren’t a tennis player, what job would you want and why?
I would be an actor. I don’t know if I would be good or not. But when I was a kid there was tennis or acting. I tried some theatre stuff when I was at school. But I was better at tennis.

If you could have dinner with three people, who would they be and why?
I would pick Roger Federer. He is my idol in tennis. Then Al Pacino. He is one of my favourite actors. And probably Tedua, that's a famous Italian singer. I also have one of his songs tattooed on my rib. I have huge respect for him. It would be a good atmosphere.

Brandon Nakashima passed his Italian test with flying colours on Thursday, defeating Franceso Passaro 4-3(4), 4-2, 4-1 to reach the semi-finals at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals.

The American won his opening two Green Group matches in Milan, but knew a straight-sets defeat against Passaro would see him bundled out of the tournament at the expense of the 21-year-old.

However, as he has done throughout the season, Nakashima produced a resilient performance, overcoming Passaro and the crowd at the Allianz Cloud to secure victory after 61 minutes.

“I know he has had a great year this year. I thought my level was really high today,” Nakashima said. “It was nice to see it carrying over from yesterday. To come out and play like that was super special.”

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Jiri Lehecka advanced to the semi-finals at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals Thursday when he dispatched Italian Matteo Arnaldi 4-3(5), 4-1, 4-3(4) in Milan.

The 21-year-old was locked in throughout the 77-minute clash at the Allianz Cloud, hitting with explosive power and consistency on his forehand. The Czech pinned Arnaldi behind the baseline, outlasting the Italian in the longer exchanges to triumph.

“I am super happy that I won today,” Lehecka said. “Matteo has been playing incredibly this week. He has the level to play here, so it was a very good win for me today. When I came here, my goal was to qualify for the semi-finals and then anything can happen. I am looking forward to tomorrow.”

Lehecka was aggressive throughout, hitting 27 per cent of his shots in attack, well above the Tour average of 23 per cent.

Lehecka ends Green Group holding a 2-1 record, having defeated Francesco Passaro and lost to Brandon Nakashima earlier this week. The Czech is the second player to qualify for the semi-finals, joining Red Group winner Dominic Stricker, who qualified following his victory against Lorenzo Musetti.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will not be in the same Nitto ATP Finals group, it was revealed at the draw Thursday.

Nadal is the top seed at the year-end championships for the fifth time. The Spaniard, this year's Australian Open and Roland Garros champion, will try to lift the season finale trophy for the first time. The lefty leads Green Group alongside Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz.

Seventh seed Novak Djokovic will try to make history at the Pala Alpitour. The five-time champion can tie Roger Federer's record of six Nitto ATP Finals titles. Stefanos Tsitsipas tops Red Group with Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev. 

Three former Nitto ATP Finals titlists are in the field: Djokovic, Medvedev and Tsitsipas. The draw was held at Intesa Sanpaolo Headquarters in Turin.

SINGLES

British lefty Jack Draper has done his talking on the court this season, earning victories against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime en route to his current career-high No. 41 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

The 20-year-old is competing at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals this week, earning his maiden match win on Wednesday. But what is Draper like off-court? ATPTour.com caught up with him to find out.

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If you weren’t a tennis player, what job would you want and why?
I would be a detective. I've always been fascinated by crime. In a good way, of course. I feel like it would be quite an adrenaline rush of a job. And I like that sort of stuff. I like a lot of crime shows, but I've got nothing left to watch. I think I've completed it.

If you could have dinner with three people, who would they be and why?
There are a lot of controversial ones in there. I'd probably say Donald Trump. Conor McGregor. feel like we've got to have a comedian in there as well to liven it up a bit. So, I'd probably say Jimmy Carr. I think Trump and McGregor are fascinating people. They obviously got to the pinnacle of what they've done. Very successful. I just think it would be a lot of fun.

Matteo Arnaldi is one of three Italians competing at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals this week after enjoying an impressive season.

The 21-year-old, who captured his first ATP Challenger Tour title in May, has shown promise in his opening two matches in Milan, pushing Brandon Nakashima and Francesco Passaro to five sets.

Ahead of his final round-robin match against Jiri Lehecka, Arnaldi spoke to ATPTour.com about his love for skiing, his idols and much more…

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If you weren’t a tennis player, what job would you want and why?
A swimmer, for sure. Every time I go to a hotel with a swimming pool, I always go swimming. It’s the first thing I do. When I’m home at the beach, I swim. I don’t like to watch [swimming] but I like to swim.

After a dramatic Day 2 which saw two matches decided in final-set tie-breaks at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, Thursday's play promises more thrills, with three semi-final places still up for grabs in Milan.

Lorenzo Musetti and Jack Draper will close round-robin play with a winner-takes-all showdown in the Red Group, where the undefeated Dominic Stricker has already clinched first place. Brandon Nakashima is also a perfect 2-0, but could still be pipped by Jiri Lehecka and Francesco Passaro in the Green Group for a place in the semis. Matteo Arnaldi also has a potential path into the knockout rounds.

With several qualifying scenarios in play, a high-stakes day of tennis is on tap at the Allianz Cloud.

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Dominic Stricker became the first player to book his spot in the semi-finals at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals Wednesday when he overcame Lorenzo Musetti 4-3(5), 4-3(6), 3-4(7), 3-4(6), 4-3(3) in a late-night Milan thriller.

The Swiss lefty downed Jack Draper in his opening match on debut in Milan and backed up that win with an aggressive performance against Italian Musetti. Stricker struck his topspin forehand with precision and showcased his fighting spirit, saving two set points in the second-set tie-break before eventually triumphing after two hours and 28 minutes.

The lefty squandered one match point in the third-set tie-break, but regrouped to hold his nerve in the decider, blasting an array of winners to upset the home favourite Musetti in a match that will go down in tournament history.

The seventh seed Stricker now holds a 2-0 record in the Red Group and has qualified for Friday's semi-finals. Musetti will take on Draper on Thursday in the Red Group in a winner-takes-all clash at the Allianz Cloud, with both going 1-1 in their opening matches.

The 21-and-under event plays host to a range of rules and innovations that are not used at tour-level events. One of those is the video review system, which came into force for the first time this week during the clash to see whether Musetti had volleyed the ball before it crossed the net. The outcome indicated Musetti had not.

A star-studded field has been named for the inaugural United Cup, an annual mixed team event set to be played in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney from Thursday 29 December to Sunday 8 January 2023.

Entries from the top 16 countries have been announced today, with Team Greece, led by world No.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas and [6] Maria Sakkari named as the top seeds.

World No.1 Iga Swiatek and [11] Hubert Hurkacz will lead No.2-seeded Poland, with third seeded United States featuring a wealth of talent, including world No.3 Jessica Pegula, ninth-ranked Taylor Fritz, world No.11 Madison Keys and the charismatic showman, world No.19 Frances Tiafoe.

The legendary Rafael Nadal will team up with world No.13 Paula Badosa to fly the flag for Spain, while emerging tennis powerhouse Italy will star world No.16 Matteo Berrettini and Martina Trevisan.

France rounds out the top six seeds, led by WTA Finals winner and world No.4 Caroline Garcia and Arthur Rinderknech.

Jack Draper held firm in the face of a strong start from Chun-Hsin Tseng on Wednesday at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, where the Briton completed a 1-4, 4-2, 4-3(2), 4-2 round-robin victory.

It was a crucial win for the 20-year-old as he seeks to progress to the semi-finals on debut at the 21-and-under season finale. Draper now owns a 1-1 record in Red Group, and he was delighted with the way he had bounced back against Tseng, having fallen to Dominic Stricker in his opening match.

“I thought Stricker played an amazing match yesterday, so all credit to him,” said Draper after his 93-minute triumph against Tseng. “I maybe wasn’t at my best, but I thought he played an exceptionally good match so it was tough to go to sleep last night knowing that I played OK and still lost.

“Today I knew it would be a really tough match and I came out a bit slow but I had a good talking to myself and tried to really find a way. I was able to do that today so I’m really happy.”

A rapid opening saw Tseng strike the ball more consistently than Draper in the pair's first tour-level meeting. The 21-year-old from Chinese Taipei stayed solid to nullify his opponent’s power and clinched the only break of a 17-minute first set as the quicker shot clock (just 15 seconds if the server hits an ace, a double fault or if the returner misses the return through forced or unforced error) contributed to the intense speed of the match.