Next Gen ATP Finals 2022: Musetti makes strong start

Top seed Musetti beat Chinese Taipei’s Tseng Chun-hsin in straight sets in his opening group match on Tuesday.

Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti returns the ball to Chinese Taipei’s Tseng Chun-hsin during the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, Italy on Tuesday.

Tournament favorite Lorenzo Musetti got off to a strong start at the Next Gen ATP Finals with a 4-2, 4-2, 4-2 win over Tseng Chun-hsin on Tuesday.

Musetti is the highest-seeded player for the year-ending tournament for 21-and-under players after Paris Masters champion Holger Rune withdrew to be an alternate for the ATP Finals.

At No. 23, Musetti is also the only player in the eight-man field ranked in the top 40.

Also, Jiri Lehecka beat Francesco Passaro 4-1, 4-3 (7), 4-1; Brandon Nakashima defeated Matteo Arnaldi 2-4, 4-3 (7), 4-3 (4), 3-4 (4), 4-2 and Dominic Stricker won 4-3 (5), 4-3 (5), 4-3 (5) against Jack Draper.

This is the fifth edition of the event, which features shorter sets of first to four games and other experimental format changes.

New rules for this edition include no changeovers after the first game of each set and only one sit-down per set after three games; a 15-second serve clock after aces, double-faults and unreturned serves; and coaching during an opponent’s medical time out or toilet break.