The fourth edition of the NextGen ATP Finals kicks off on Tuesday in Milan with a fresh crop of under-21 talent. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match from the NextGen Finals. The event has a bit of a unique format, which we give a brief overview for.
ATP NextGen Finals Predictions
Brandon Nakashima vs Juan Manuel Cerundolo
Head-to-head: Nakashima 1-0 Cerundolo
Nakashima is coming into the NextGen Finals in great form on indoor hard courts–9-1 in his last 10 matches. The young American qualified to reach the quarterfinals in Antwerp with wins over Alex De Minaur and Henri Laaksonen in the main draw before he ran the table at the Brest Challenger, winning the title without dropping a set.
Cerundolo has had a great year, earning 51 wins to this point, though all of them have been on clay. The 19-year-old won his first ATP title at a 250 in Cordoba before winning three Challengers in Rome, Como, and Banja Luka. This will be the Argentine’s second-ever match on indoor hard, so it is tough to see him beat Nakashima here. The American won their previous meeting at a hard-court Futures, dropping only three games.
Prediction: Nakashima in 3
Carlos Alcaraz vs Holger Rune
Head-to-head: first meeting
Alcaraz is the top seed in the tournament, ranked No. 32 in the world. The Spaniard broke through at the US Open, reaching the quarterfinals and beating Stefanos Tsitsipas, and continued to impress on indoor hard with a Vienna semifinal and a win over Sinner in Paris.
Rune’s rise this season has truly been extraordinary, going from just inside the Top 500 to just outside the Top 100. The young Dane won four Challengers including a title at indoor hard in Bergamo.
These players are the youngest in the field and have played a lot of tennis this year; they might not be completely fit going into this event, though the faster format should certainly help.
Alcaraz is the favorite for me as I have confidence that he will be able to outrally Rune here.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 4
Main Photo from Getty.
