19-year-old secures maiden ATP Tour win

Nishesh Basavareddy took full advantage of the innovative rules on Thursday to hit a major milestone at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

The seventh seed secured his first career ATP Tour win after overcoming Shang Juncheng 3-4(4), 4-2, 4-2, 4-1 in Jeddah. Shang was visibly hindered by illness, heightened by the reduce rest time allowed in between points, but Basavareddy stuck to his game plan and hit through his fourth-seeded opponent. 

“I’m just super excited, playing in this stadium is a dream come true,” said Basavareddy, who notched his first win over a Top 50 opponent. “In such a big event like this, in front of all these fans, I’m just enjoying every moment of it.

“I never expected to be here this year, it’s been a lot of good results and a lot of hard work that’s led to this, so I am super happy. I just wanted to be a little bit more positive today, and more clutch, and I think I did that.”

The 19-year-old American found himself trailing a set, but mustered some gutsy tennis to fend off two further break points and cruise to a one-hour, 38-minute comeback victory. After his four-set defeat to countryman Alex Michelsen on Wednesday, Basavareddy is 1-1 in the Red Group, and will look to clinch a spot in the semi-finals when he takes on sixth seed Luca Van Assche on Friday.

Despite his physical state, there were moments of brilliance from Shang in the first set. The World No. 50, who is the first Chinese competitor in tournament history, produced back-to-back winners from his backhand wing to seal the tie-break, but ultimately he fell to a defiant Basavareddy.