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Felix, Rune, Musetti Among First-Time ATP Tour Titlists

ATPTour.com’s annual season-in-review series looks back at 2022’s best matches, biggest upsets, most dramatic comebacks and more. Today, we feature the first-time ATP Tour title winners of the season.

Securing a match win on the ATP Tour is hard enough, but stringing together a series of back-to-back victories across a single week to lift a trophy requires even greater technical consistency, physical discipline and mental focus.

This year, 12 players managed that feat for the first time, hitting a milestone that will forever stand out in the context of their careers. As part of our annual season-in-review series, ATPTour.com reflects on the lineup of stars who clinched their maiden ATP Tour title in 2022.

[ATP APP]

Thanasi Kokkinakis, Adelaide
Kokkinakis clinched an emotional victory in his hometown at the Adelaide International 2 in January, a reward for the Australian’s commitment and hard work after a series of devastating injuries. His run at the ATP 250 event included hard-fought three-set wins against three of the biggest servers on Tour in John Isner, Marin Cilic and Arthur Rinderknech.

“I wouldn&rsquor;t want to win my first title anywhere else,” said Kokkinakis after edging Rinderknech 6-7(6), 7-6(5) 6-3 in the final. “To my family, friends and coaches, what a ride it&rsquor;s been. You have seen me at my lowest lows and now the highest high. It&rsquor;s been a serious journey. For now, I am so happy.”

_{^{Kokkinakis kisses the court in Adelaide. Photo Credit: David Mariuz/Tennis Australia}}

Alexander Bublik, Montpellier
Bublik capped a rock-solid week at the Open Sud de France – Montpellier by claiming the biggest win of his career to seal his maiden tour-level crown. The Kazakh deployed his trademark combination of big-hitting and deft touches to stun World No. 3 Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the championship match at the ATP 250 event. It was Bublik’s first victory in five championship match appearances.

“I played four finals before and [in] the fifth final I have won against a great player [in] Sascha,” said Bublik after his 6-4, 6-3 victory. “It is great. All my game together. I was serving well and returned well and kept my nerve. I was lucky [at some] moments, and when I had my chances, I used them.” Read First-Time Winner Spotlight.

^{_{Bublik holds his trophy in Montpellier. Photo Credit: JB Autissier/Panoramic.}}

Felix Auger-Aliassime, Rotterdam
After his eight previous tour-level finals all ended in disappointment, Auger-Aliassime could have been forgiven for showing nerves in February when he took on Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam. Yet the Canadian barely looked back as he charged past the World No. 4 Greek 6-4, 6-2 to break his trophy duck at the ATP 500 event.

“It is definitely a dream come true,” Auger-Aliassime, who went on to lift three further titles in a standout 2022 season, told ATPTour.com after his triumph in The Netherlands. “It is something I have been working for and suffering for at times because we all know my story, having lost finals before, so this one is even more special for me.” Read First-Time Winner Spotlight.

Pedro Martinez, Santiago
A gruelling week on the Santiago clay ended with a maiden ATP Tour title for Martinez, who came through three-set battles against top-quality clay-courters Jaume Munar, Alejandro Tabilo and Sebastian Baez to claim victory at the Chile Dove Men+Care Open. The 24-year-old’s 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 championship match triumph against Baez made him the fifth Spanish tour-level titlist of a 2022 season that was barely two months old.

“We have a really good culture of tennis in Spain, so that’s what gives you confidence to reach new things,” Martinez later told ATPTour.com. “I hope I can go higher in the rankings and keep playing like this.” Read First-Time Winner Spotlight.

_{^{Martinez triumphs in Santiago. Photo Credit: Matias Donoso|@chile_open/@chileopentenis}}

Holger Rune, Munich
“If I look through the week, what a week,” said Rune after charging to his maiden tour-level crown without dropping a set at April’s BMW Open by American Express. “I played some unbelievable tennis, really fighting my way through it. To be playing here in Munich and winning my first ATP title in front of such a brilliant crowd, I couldn’t really ask for more.”

Rune’s run included his maiden Top 10 victory against home favourite Alexander Zverev in the second round before Botic van de Zandschulp’s retirement at 4-3 in the first set of the final saw the 19-year-old lift the trophy. It was only a sign of things to come for Rune, who later put together a stunning late-season charge to win 19 of his final 21 matches of the year, lift further trophies in Stockholm and Paris, and break into the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time. Read First-Time Winner Spotlight.

_{^{Rune lifts the trophy in Munich. Photo Credit: Christof Stache/Getty Images.}}

Sebastian Baez, Estoril
Baez drew inspiration from an unlikely source en route to his maiden ATP Tour title at the Millennium Estoril Open — his championship match opponent Frances Tiafoe. The Argentine had noticed the words “Why not me?” on Tiafoe’s bracelet early in the week and wrote them on the camera lens after each of his victories in Portugal.

When the pair eventually met in the final, it was Baez who charged to a 6-3, 6-2 triumph at the ATP 250 event. After receiving the trophy, Baez said to Tiafoe: “Why not me? And why not you, man?” Read First-Time Winner Spotlight.

Tim van Rijthoven, ‘s-Hertogenbosch
Van Rijthoven was still searching for his maiden main-draw win on the ATP Tour prior to arriving in ‘s-Hertogenbosch for the Libema Open in June. By the end of the week, the No. 205-ranked home wild card had five, after a stunning streak of clean-hitting grass-court tennis moved him past Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev to become the lowest-ranked tour-level titlist of 2022.

“I never thought I would win the tournament,” said Van Rijthoven, who raced past Medvedev 6-4, 6-1 to become the first Dutchman to win the ATP 250 event since 2003. “I wanted to maybe upset one player. But to upset a couple of players and win the title is just incredible.” Read First-Time Winner Spotlight.

^{_{Van Rijthoven celebrates in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Photo Credit: Libema Open.}}

Maxime Cressy, Newport
With Alexander Bublik leading 6-2, 3-0 in the Infosys Hall of Fame Open championship match in Newport, Cressy’s hopes of clinching his maiden ATP Tour title in his third final were on the ropes. Yet the American’s unwavering commitment to his serve-and-volley tactics engineered one of the comebacks of the 2022 season, as the 25-year-old rallied to a dramatic 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) victory at the grass-court ATP 250 event.

“My dream is to really make serve and volley great again and inspire many people to start playing that game style,” Cressy later told ATPTour.com. “I’ve seen other players do it a lot more, like Rafa [Nadal]. If I can impact the tennis world and make serve and volley a game style that people enjoy and want to play, it’s going to be big.” Read First-Time Winner Spotlight.

^{_{Cressy comes forward in Newport. Photo Credit: Ben Solomon/International Tennis Hall of Fame.}}

Francisco Cerundolo, Bastad
Cerundolo’s charge to his maiden tour-level crown at the Nordea Open simultaneously banished some disappointing memories of his first ATP Tour final, a heavy loss to countryman Diego Schwartzman in Buenos Aires in 2021. The 23-year-old Cerundolo kept cool throughout his run in Bastad, where his powerful baseline hitting took out Casper Ruud and Pablo Carreno Busta before his 7-6(4), 6-2 championship match triumph against Sebastian Baez.

“Since you are a child you imagine yourself playing in these events and finals,” said Cerundolo at the trophy ceremony. “When I lost in Buenos Aires, I was sad, because I was at home and I lost badly, but I learned a lot from that. I used it today, and I think I played a great match, a great week.” Read First-Time Winner Spotlight.

_{^{Cerundolo takes the trophy in Bastad. Photo Credit: Nordea Open/Johan Lilja.}}

Lorenzo Musetti, Hamburg
After letting slip five championship points against Carlos Alcaraz in the second set of the Hamburg European Open final, Musetti’s mental fortitude was put to the ultimate test at the ATP 500 event. The 20-year-old Italian passed with flying colours, eventually edging the top seed 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4 after two hours, 47 minutes to prevail in one of the best ATP Tour matches of 2022.

“It was a roller-coaster until the end,” Musetti, who later backed up his Hamburg triumph with a title run in Naples in October, reflected after the match. “I had so many match points… But I think the key to the match was to keep calm and [have] all the patience [with] myself because it was really not easy. Carlos was putting so much effort in the match points when he was down, so it was not easy to find the energy to come back.” Read First-Time Winner Spotlight.

Brandon Nakashima, San Diego
The pressure of playing at home is not always easy to handle, but Nakashima made it look that way by surging to his first ATP Tour crown for the loss of just one set all week at the San Diego Open. Later describing the run as “Like a dream”, the American acknowledged the experience of winning his maiden Tour title was made even sweeter by the fact he had accomplished the feat in the city where he grew up.

“Of course being in my hometown, I get to go home tonight, celebrate with the team,” said the 21-year-old after beating Marcos Giron 6-4, 6-4 in the final. “I don&rsquor;t have to fly back [like] if we were somewhere else. I&rsquor;m sure we&rsquor;re going to celebrate with all my family down here, all my coaches… Just enjoy this moment as much as possible.” Read First-Time Winner Spotlight.

^{_{Nakashima wins in San Diego. Photo Credit: Will LeFevre.}}

Marc-Andrea Huesler, Sofia
The only left-handed first-time winner of the 2022 season, Huesler’s big-serving and precise volleying took him past a host of top-quality opponents, including Pablo Carreno Busta, Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune, to a surprise maiden title at the Sofia Open. The 26-year-old, who saved two match points against Kamil Majchrzak in the quarter-finals, was the first Swiss player to win an ATP Tour title since Roger Federer in 2019.

“This whole week has been a complete fairy tale for me,” said a delighted Huesler at the trophy ceremony after downing Rune 6-4, 7-6(8). “I would have been happy to pass a couple of rounds and I’m holding the trophy here.” Read First-Time Winner Spotlight.

_{^{Huesler in action in Sofia. Photo Credit: Vladimir Stoyanov/LAP.bg.}}

Read more from our Best Of 2022 Series

December 20, 2022
Musetti & Rune Qualify For Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals

Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune have qualified for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held in Milan from 8-12 November. They both will compete at the 21-and-under season finale for the second consecutive year.

Twenty-year-old Musetti and 19-year-old Rune guaranteed their spots Friday by advancing to the semi-finals of the Sofia Open. They will become the fourth and fifth players to play in the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in consecutive years, joining Andrey Rublev, Alex de Minaur and Frances Tiafoe.

Musetti claimed his first ATP Tour title this July at the ATP 500 event in Hamburg. The Italian saved two match points against Dusan Lajovic in the first round before stunning then-World No. 6 Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling three-set final.

Musetti also defeated then-World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime in Monte Carlo and 2021 Nitto ATP Finals qualifier Hubert Hurkacz in Rotterdam. The 6’1” righty reached a career-high No. 30 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on 1 July.

“It was my goal this year to play in front of a home crowd again and to be a better player compared to last year and to try and lift the trophy,” Musetti said. “I am happy I qualified for this really important event and I am happy to be there. It is always special to play in your country, so I hope the crowd will give me extra for my winning chances.”

Rune began his season outside the Top 100, but has climbed as high as World No. 26, making him the highest-ranked Danish player in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history (since 1973). Rune lifted his first ATP Tour trophy in Munich, where he ousted then-World No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the second round.

The teen also made the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, where he upset then-World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round to become the first Danish man to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final in the Open Era (since 1968).

“I feel good. It is a great step,” Rune said. “Every time you achieve this it shows that you have had a great year. I am super happy for that and really excited to go there again. It is such a great event. It is probably one of the most fun ones of the year, so I am super excited.”

The past two Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champions, Carlos Alcaraz (2021) and Jannik Sinner (2019) — who are in first and second place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan — will not be competing in this year’s event. Alcaraz has already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals and Sinner continues his quest to compete in Turin for the second consecutive year after playing two matches as an alternate last year.

October 1, 2022
Musetti Shines, Draper & Nakashima Make Moves

With the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan heating up, a number of #NextGenATP stars earned standout results in the third quarter of the season to boost their chances of qualifying for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals.

Italian Lorenzo Musetti defeated Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz to lift his maiden tour-level title in Hamburg, while Jack Draper and Ben Shelton made their mark at ATP Masters 1000 events in North America. Brandon Nakashima, who is aiming to compete at the 21-and-under event in November for a second consecutive season, impressed on the Wimbledon lawns and Jiri Lehecka continued his strong season with title success on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Leaders Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner also broke new ground to move further clear in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan, with the 19-year-old Alcaraz capturing his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open.

View Latest Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan Standings

Alcaraz & Sinner Remain In Front
With the world watching, Alcaraz made history at the US Open, overcoming Casper Ruud in the final to clinch his first Grand Slam crown and secure the No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking.

The Spaniard now holds a standout 51-9 record on the season, having won ATP Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid earlier this year. The 19-year-old is the youngest player to rise to No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973) and the fourth Spaniard, joining his current coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal.

Jannik Sinner remains in second in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan after advancing to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. The Italian also captured his first tour-level title of the season in July when he downed Alcaraz in the Umag final.

No. 3 Lorenzo Musetti, 1266 points
After a steady rise over the past 18 months, Musetti enjoyed his best moment on the ATP Tour in July, when he soared to his maiden tour-level title on the clay in Hamburg.

The Italian saved two match points in the first round against Dusan Lajovic, before he produced lights-out tennis, defeating Emil Ruusuvuori, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Francisco Cerundolo to reach his maiden tour-level final. With the pressure on, the 20-year-old overcame Carlos Alcaraz in an all #NextGenATP blockbuster to capture the ATP 500 crown.

“For me it’s a dream,” Musetti said after winning the title in Germany. “Obviously I always dreamed about winning a title and I didn’t have any chances before. I think my best result was a semi-final, so I never had the opportunity to play a final. I’m really happy with this week. I think we did an amazing job and now we will celebrate and enjoy it for the next days.”

Musetti, who became the 10th first-time winner of the season, rose to a career-high No. 30 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at the start of August. Having earned a seed at the US Open, the Italian played with renewed confidence in his second appearance in New York. He edged David Goffin and Gijs Brouwer on the hard courts to advance to the third round.

The 20-year-old is currently third in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan as he closes in on qualification for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for the second consecutive year.

Read 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals Spotlight Features
Jiri Lehecka
Jack Draper
Holger Rune
Shang Juncheng
Luca Nardi
Dominic Stricker
Chun-Hsin Tseng
Ben Shelton

No. 5 Jack Draper, 925 points
Great Britain’s Draper continued his standout season on the English lawns and the North American hard courts, boosting his Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals qualification hopes in the process.

The 20-year-old, who won four ATP Challenger Tour titles across the first four months of the season, enjoyed a run to his first tour-level semi-final on the grass in Eastbourne, toppling Top 20-star Diego Schwartzman en route. Draper then made his biggest wave yet in Montreal, where he turned heads by reaching the quarter-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

After coming through qualifying, the lefty earned his maiden Top 10 win in the second round at the hard-court tournament, stunning Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets. He then moved past Gael Monfils, before he was stopped by eventual champion Pablo Carreno Busta.

“This is why I put in all the hard work, for nights like this on stages like this,” Draper said following his win against Tsitsipas.

“I just thought I needed to play good tennis to beat Stefanos. He&rsquor;s at the top of the game for a reason. [He&rsquor;s] someone I&rsquor;ve looked up to the last few years. It&rsquor;s just good to be out here and try to express myself on this stage.”

Draper then rocked up at the US Open and put on a show, dispatching sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the third round on debut in New York.

No. 7 Brandon Nakashima, 592 points
Consistency was the name of the game for Nakashima in recent months on the ATP Tour. The American looked comfortable on the grass at Wimbledon, eliminating Top 20 Canadian Denis Shapovalov en route to his first fourth-round appearance at a Grand Slam.
The 21-year-old, who lost to eventual finalist Nick Kyrgios in five sets, was one of four Americans to reach the last 16, which was the most at SW19 since 1999.

“It felt amazing out there. To play against such a high-level player on one of the biggest stages, it doesn’t get much better than that,” Nakashima said following his maiden Top 20 win against Shapovalov. “The crowd was great out there today.”

Nakashima then made the journey across the North Atlantic Ocean, where he reached consecutive quarter-finals on hard in Atlanta and Los Cabos.

After disappointing first-round exits in Montreal and Cincinnati, the American looked back to his best at the US Open. Nakashima cruised past Pavel Kotov and former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets, before he ran out of steam during his third-round match against 11th seed Jannik Sinner.

[ATP APP]

No. 14 Ben Shelton, 280 points
Shelton has thrown himself into contention to qualify for the 21-and-under event in Milan in November after enjoying a red-hot summer in North America.

The American, who studied at the University of Florida, won the NCAA singles title as a sophomore earlier this year to earn a main draw wild card into the US Open. However, fans were not made to wait until the fourth major of the season to see the 19-year-old in action.

After advancing to his first ATP Challenger Tour final in July, Shelton made his tour-level debut in Atlanta. The lefty swept past Ramkumar Ramanathan to earn his maiden ATP Tour win, before he gave countryman John Isner a scare in a third-set tie-break defeat.

_{^{Photo Credit: Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour}}
Shelton then made his ATP Masters 1000 debut in Cincinnati, where he made his biggest mark yet. The home favourite backed up his first-round victory against Lorenzo Sonego by shocking Norway&rsquor;s Casper Ruud in straight sets.

“If he plays like he did today every match for the rest of his career, I think he will reach very far,” Ruud told ATPTour.com. “I think it surprised me a little bit how well he played. I knew he was a young, up and coming, great player. But today he was painting lines as we call it and hitting all the spots he needed to. It was really impressive to see.”

Following his third-round defeat against Cameron Norrie, Shelton made the decision to go pro, despite being eligible to study in Florida for another two years. The American is currently 14th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan and will need a strong finish to the season if he is going to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Others To Watch
Czech Lehecka is sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan, while Chun-Hsin Tseng is eighth. Lehecka lifted his first ATP Challenger Tour trophy of the season in August, while Tseng of Chinese Taipei earned his maiden tour-level match win in Los Cabos.

The 21-year-old Italian Francesco Passaro soared to a Challenger Tour crown on clay in July and is currently ninth, with the 20-year-old Dominic Stricker 10th. The Swiss lefty came through qualifying to reach the second round in Stuttgart, before he clinched his second Challenger Tour title of the year on home soil.

Holger Rune remains fourth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan following a run to the third round at the US Open.

September 14, 2022
Sinner, Musetti, Fognini Survive In Five

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There was no easing in gently for Jannik Sinner on Tuesday at the US Open. The 11th seed was forced to work overtime to see off the resilient Daniel Altmaier in a five-set epic in the first round at the hard-court Grand Slam in New York.

The Italian prevailed 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 against the World No. 93 in the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting. Sinner appeared to have taken control of the three-hour, 35-minute encounter after easing to the second and third sets with some typically forceful baseline hitting, but tournament debutant Altmaier enjoyed a fourth-set resurgence to push the six-time tour-titlist the distance.

“It’s very tough, obviously, playing the first round in every tournament, and especially here where I think I can play well,” said Sinner in his on-court interview. “I had moments where I played well and I had moments where I could play better, but [in the] first round it’s obviously a very tough one.”

[ATP APP]

Despite the one-sided nature of the fifth-set scoreline, it was Sinner who had been in early trouble in the decider as the 21-year-old recovered 0/40 for a crucial hold of serve at 1-1. He then secured an immediate break for a 3-1 lead after coming out on top in a stunning break point during which incredible defence from both players had the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd on their feet.

“There were some very fun points, but there were moments when there was not a lot of rhythm,” said Sinner. “It was tough to play because it was a little bit windy also. As I said, for the first round I can be happy, happy to be in the next round and now most importantly try to recover in the best possible way.

“For me, it’s very important to play best of five sets, because I really like it. Like today, it can be very long, but I just enjoy to stay on the court… It’s always very special coming back to New York. It was the first Grand Slam where I qualified, so it’s a very special place for me.”

Sinner, who reached the fourth round in New York in 2021, will next face Christopher Eubanks after the home qualifier defeated Spaniard Pedro Martinez 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(3).

Lorenzo Musetti was the second Italian to claim a five-set victory Tuesday when he recovered from a deep hole in the final-set tie-break to defeat David Goffin 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(9). The Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals contender trailed 4/7 in the first-to-10 tie-break but two courageous drop shots helped him work his way back into the decider.

At 9/9, at the end of an extended rally, Musetti redirected play with a rifled a down-the-line backhand winner to bring up his second match point, which he converted when an exhausted Goffin netted a forehand, after which the 20-year-old collapsed on the court in celebration.

Musetti next faces World No. 181 Dutch qualifier Gijs Brouwer, a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 winner over Winston-Salem Open champion Adrian Mannarino.

Veteran Fabio Fognini completed a hat-trick of Italian five-set victories when he rallied from two sets down to defeat Aslan Karatsev 1-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4. The 35-year-old will play the winner of second seed Rafael Nadal and Australian wild card Rinky Hijikata. In 2015 at Flushing Meadows, Fognini came from two sets down to stun Nadal in five sets in the third round.

Also needing five sets to advance Tuesday was Croatian Borna Coric, a 6-2, 7-6(5), 3-6, 4-6, 7-5 winner over French qualifier Enzo Couacaud, who was broken to love when he served for the match in the 10th game of the final set.

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August 31, 2022
Sinner, Musetti Survive In Five

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There was no easing in gently for Jannik Sinner on Tuesday at the US Open. The 11th seed was forced to work overtime to see off the resilient Daniel Altmaier in a five-set epic in the first round at the hard-court Grand Slam in New York.

The Italian prevailed 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 against the World No. 93 in the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting. Sinner appeared to have taken control of the three-hour, 35-minute encounter after easing to the second and third sets with some typically forceful baseline hitting, but tournament debutant Altmaier enjoyed a fourth-set resurgence to push the six-time tour-titlist the distance.

“It’s very tough, obviously, playing the first round in every tournament, and especially here where I think I can play well,” said Sinner in his on-court interview. “I had moments where I played well and I had moments where I could play better, but [in the] first round it’s obviously a very tough one.”

[ATP APP]

Despite the one-sided nature of the fifth-set scoreline, it was Sinner who had been in early trouble in the decider as the 21-year-old recovered 0/40 for a crucial hold of serve at 1-1. He then secured an immediate break for a 3-1 lead after coming out on top in a stunning break point during which incredible defence from both players had the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd on their feet.

“There were some very fun points, but there were moments when there was not a lot of rhythm,” said Sinner. “It was tough to play because it was a little bit windy also. As I said, for the first round I can be happy, happy to be in the next round and now most importantly try to recover in the best possible way.

“For me, it’s very important to play best of five sets, because I really like it. Like today, it can be very long, but I just enjoy to stay on the court… It’s always very special coming back to New York. It was the first Grand Slam where I qualified, so it’s a very special place for me.”

Sinner, who reached the fourth round in New York in 2021, will next face Christopher Eubanks after the home qualifier defeated Spaniard Pedro Martinez 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(3).

Lorenzo Musetti was the second Italian to claim a five-set victory Tuesday when he recovered from a deep hole in the final-set tie-break to defeat David Goffin 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(9). The Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals contender trailed 4/7 in the first-to-10 tie-break but two courageous drop shots helped him work his way back into the decider.

At 9/9, at the end of an extended rally, Musetti redirected play with a rifled a down-the-line backhand winner to bring up his second match point, which he converted when an exhausted Goffin netted a forehand, after which the 20-year-old collapsed on the court in celebration.

Musetti next faces World No. 181 Dutch qualifier Gijs Brouwer, a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 winner over Winston-Salem Open champion Adrian Mannarino.

Also needing five sets to advance Tuesday was Croatian Borna Coric, a 6-2, 7-6(5), 3-6, 4-6, 7-5 winner over French qualifier Enzo Couacaud, who was broken to love when he served for the match in the 10th game of the final set.

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August 31, 2022