Several #NextGenATP stars continued to impress on the ATP Tour in recent months, with Arthur Fils and Shang Juncheng earning standout results.
ATPTour.com looks at those in contention to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, to be held from 18-22 December in Jeddah.
View PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah
Fils makes major breakthrough
Arthur Fils achieved his best result at a major earlier this month at Wimbledon, where he reached the fourth round for the first time. The 20-year-old moved past Dominic Stricker and Hubert Hurkacz before he survived in five sets against Roman Safiullin.
Fils also enjoyed quarter-final runs at ATP 500 events in Barcelona and Halle in recent months, while he lifted the ATP Challenger Tour title at the 175 event in Bordeaux.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
On court, the 20-year-old has put on a show and leads the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. Off-court, the Frenchman has plans to stay in the spotlight.
“At one point I would love to be an actor but I don’t think it is possible at the moment,” Fils told ATPTour.com at Wimbledon. “After my career maybe I would love to. Acting is super cool. I never did any acting at school but I just love it because I love watching movies.
“I really like Michael B. Jordan. He is in a lot of great movies and it also seems a super cool life. I also really like Leonardo DiCaprio. I just love watching action movies and series. I like Power and Top Boy is great. Being in London, now is the time to watch Top Boy. But I like watching actors, so who knows in the future if it is for me.”
Shang creates history
Shang Juncheng made history at Wimbledon, where he became the first Chinese man to win a match at the grass-court major. The 19-year-old lefty defeated Cristian Garin in the first round before he lost to Grigor Dimitrov in five sets.
Cheering him on in west London were his parents, who were both former professional athletes.
“When I got into tennis, as athletes they both helped,” Shang told ATPTour.com at Wimbledon. “My mum played an individual sport, she knows how to compete by herself and then also having her team help her. My dad playing a team sport was a little bit different, but with physical contact, he knows how important fitness is and measures to help prevent injury, so I think it's really perfect for me as a kid to start like that in a family who understands. I'm fortunate they've taught me so many things, basically everything I know, and it's just really positive.”
Shang, currently third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, also impressed on the grass in Eastbourne, where he advanced to his second tour-level quarter-final of the season (Hong Kong SF).
[ATP APP]Michelsen shines in Geneva & Mallorca
American Alex Michelsen is trying to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF for the second consecutive year.
The 19-year-old earned his best results of Q2 in Geneva and Mallorca to boost his Jeddah chances. Michelsen clinched his second Top 20 win when he defeated Taylor Fritz en route to the last eight on clay in Geneva, before he advanced to the quarter-finals in Spain, becoming the youngest winner in tournament history.
“That’s pretty cool,” Michelsen said. “I had no idea that that was going to be a statistic, so I’m super happy with that.”
Mensik remains in contention
Jakub Mensik started Q2 by advancing to the third round at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time in Madrid. The 18-year-old earned his second Top 10 win of the season in the Spanish capital, where he upset Grigor Dimitrov.
The Czech star then missed Roland Garros due to a right arm injury but returned to perform well on his tour-level debut on grass, reaching the quarter-finals in Mallorca. Mensik is currently second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah and is hoping to seal his qualification spot in the coming months.
“Before the season, I set the goal to qualify for Jeddah and to play there. I think that I'm doing pretty well so far and it would be great to play this kind of event because for us young players it is pretty exciting,” Mensik told ATPTour.com in June. “It is a good opportunity to see how it works and to taste something from the background of the ATP. I think that is what I want to play at the end of this season.”
Van Assche, Fonseca in the mix
Luca Van Assche, Joao Fonseca, Henrique Rocha and Gonzalo Bueno currently occupy spots fifth to eighth in the Live Race To Jeddah.
Frenchman Van Assche, 20, reached the semis at a Challenger Tour event in Germany in June, while 17-year-old Brazilian Fonseca advanced to his second tour-level quarter-final in Bucharest.
Portugal’s Rocha, 20, reached the title match at a Challenger Tour tournament in Slovakia and Peruvian Bueno won a trophy at that level in Chile. Fonseca, Rocha and Bueno, 20, are aiming to make their debuts at the 20-and-under event in Jeddah.
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