The fourth ATP NextGen Finals kicked off in Milan yesterday and a full slate of group stage action will continue today with the day and evening session both having two matches each. If you need to brush up on the NextGen Finals format, check out our guide to the tournament. But back to the action! As always, we here at LWOT will be previewing and predicting every match, including Lorenzo Musetti vs Hugo Gaston.
ATP NextGen Finals Session 4 Predictions
Sebastian Korda vs Sebastian Baez
Head-to-head: first meeting
The second-seeded Korda came back from two sets down against Paris Masters quarterfinalist Hugo Gaston. The American lost the first two sets in tiebreaks before launching the comeback.
The battle of the Sebastians will be Korda against Sebastian Baez, who just got his first-ever indoor hard yesterday. The Argentine pulled off the upset over Lorenzo Musetti 4-1 4-1 3-4(5) 4-3(5), playing only his second match on an indoor hard court.
The two haven’t faced each other on the pro circuit, but Baez did defeat Korda four years ago at a Junior Grade A tournament in Milan. Still, their paths have rather diverged since then and Korda is definitely the favorite coming into this match. But as we saw yesterday, Baez is anything but an easy out at this tournament.
Prediction: Korda in 4
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Lorenzo Musetti vs Hugo Gaston
Head-to-head: Musetti 0-1 Gaston
Lorenzo Musetti continued his poor form in front of a home crowd in Milan, losing to Sebastian Baez in four sets yesterday. The second half of Musetti’s season has been a nightmare, winning only five matches since the French Open. It is hard to see him getting himself back on track here against an in-form Hugo Gaston.
The Frenchmen had a strong week, reaching the quarterfinals at Paris-Bercy and also gave a strong account of himself in his first match in Milan. Gaston lost to Korda 4-3(2) 4-3(6) 0-4 3-4(3) 0-4.
The two faced each other last week in the final qualifying round in Paris, where Gaston won 6-4 in the third. They also have previous meetings from Juniors where Musetti beat Gaston at the 2018 Junior Wimbledon and the Frenchman returned the final at the year-end Junior championships in Chengdu. Gaston is the favorite, but Musetti’s raw talent will not make it easy for the Frenchman.
Prediction: Gaston in 4
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