Next Gen calling the shots
THE Paris Masters, the final showdown before the ATP Finals in Turin and Next Gen Fi nals in Milan, has produced both high-octane tennis and highly ranked upsets.
The atmosphere in the Accor Arena has been literally electrifying – each player announced on court with a 3D light show – the stadium packed and the partisan crowd behaving like a 19th-century one in front of the guillotine.
The locals raucously back their own players to the hilt, making the task of beating any French player an uphill battle, especially an imminently retiring one like veteran Giles Simon, as former No 1 Andy Murray, axed by the latter, rudely discovered.
However, the men taking Paris by storm have been 19-year-old Dane Holger Rune and 21-year-old Canadian Felix Auger Alliassime, both aggressively carving up top opposition of the calibre of Andrey Rublev and Hugo Hurkacz, using similar tactics of intimidation – net-rushing behind a consistent big first serve.
The two teenage titans faced off in the semi-finals. It was believed Rune, who leapt to No 18 in the world, would be stopped dead in his tracks by his 19-year-old-nemesis, World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz, in the quarters.
Instead, the Spaniard was forced to retire with a side injury, to safeguard his chances in Turin, leaving Rune on the rampage in Paris, on the brink of the Next Gen Finals in Milan, which Alcaraz won last year.
Meanwhile, Alliassime finally dismissed home favourite Simon and Laver Cup teammate Frances Tiafoe on the Canadian’s run to the semis.
Another twist in the tale of the Accor Arena was American Tommy Paul’s dismissal of former No 1 Rafa Nadal, playing for the first time as a father after the recent birth of his son. Paul was then thrashed by Stefanos Tsitsipas, one of the last top seeds standing.
This set up another mouthwatering semi for the Greek No 1 – who still stands a chance of becoming World No 1 by the year’s end – with none other than defending champion Novak Djokovic, a major threat on any surface.
Another young player taking a bow in Paris is Australian Alex De Minnaur, who beat former No 1 Daniil Medvedev, his first-ever win against a Top Five player. De Minnaur subscribes to the same brand of tennis as Rune and Alliassime – in other words, to move forward, rather than sideways, on court.
And in Fort Worth, Texas, it is World No 1 Iga Swiatek who is moving forward, using her own initiative “to come flying out of the starting blocks”.
The Pole is aiming for a perfect round robin and has yet to drop a set. All four Singles winners over the first two days have previously played this event.
Yet, according to Swiatek, “you can lose a match and still win overall, which is difficult to wrap your head around”.
The man having difficulty in wrapping his head around unresolved issues is Steve Simon, head of women’s professional tennis, watching the action from the front row.
These WTA Finals were supposed to have been played in China. Simon remains concerned about the safety of Chinese doubles champion Peng Shuai, who disappeared from the tour a year ago after accusing a government official of sexual assault.
She has since retracted her statement, but the WTA has not yet retracted its suspension of all its events in China, given there has been no enquiry and it has had no direct communication with Shuai.
Thus, those elite eight receiving the red-carpet treatment in Texas should doubly appreciate, not only the opportunity to play, but also the unfettered freedom they exercise in doing so.