Borna Coric beat Jared Donaldson by 4-3 (7-2) 4-1 4-3 to become the only player to win a match in three sets in the shortest match of the inaugural day at the ATP Next Gen Finals.
Coric dropped just nine points on serve. He held serve in seven of his eight break points and dropped his serve just once. Donaldson faced seven break points and was broken three times.
Donaldson saved a break point with a great backhand before winning the deciding point, when Coric sent a forehand long. Donaldson drew the first blood breaking in the fifth game with a drop shot winner at 2-2. He failed to serve out for the set, as Coric broke back to set up a tie-break. Donaldson saved a break point with an ace, but Coric hit a crosscourt forehand winner to win the deciding point. In the tie-break Coric got two mini-breaks to seal the first set 7-2.
Coric broke at the start of the second set and sealed it by 4-1 with another break in the fifth game.
Both players went on serve in the first six games. Donaldson forced the third set to the tie-break. Coric earned two mini-breaks to close out the third set by 7-5 with a smash winner.
In the second match of the evening session World number 37 and top seed Andrey Rublev came back from losing the first set to edge past 2013 Wimbledon Junior champion Gianluigi Quinzi 1-4 4-0 4-3 (7-3) 0-4 4-3 (7-3) in a hard-fought match after 1 hour and 46 minutes. Quinzi fired two consecutive aces from 30-30 to hold his serve in the first game. Quinzi got the first break in the fourth game with a passing shot and a forehand error from Rublev. Quinzi served for the first set at 15 to seal the opening set by 4-1 after 15 minutes.
Rublev, who won his first ATP title in Umag last July and became the youngest quarter finalista t the US Open since Andy Roddick in 2001, won eight of his nine points on his serve in the second set and went up a double break in the second and fourth games to take the second set 4-0.
Quinzi earned three break points in the first game of the third set, but Rublev raised his level saving all chances. Rublev brought up two break point chances but Quinzi saved them with his serve. Quinzi fended off three set points on his serve, as Rublev was leading 3-2 forcing the set to the tie-break. Rublev sealed the third set by 7-3 in the tie-break to take a 2-1 lead after three sets.
Quinzi saved two break points in the fourth set before breaking serve in the second game. He held his serve but received a medical time-out to treat a problem on his right leg. Quinzi recovered quickly to break serve on his second chance to close out the fourth set by 4-0.
The fifth set went on serve apart one break point saved by Rublev in the fourth game. Rublev raced out to 6-1 in the decisive tie-break earning five match points. Quinzi saved the first two opportunities but Rublev sealed the match on the next point to win the tie-break by 7-3.
Quinzi made an encouraging return to form four years after his Wimbledon Junior title against Hyeon Chung.
The second day will start with a Group B match between Karen Khachanov and Jared Donaldson followed by a Group A clash between Hyeong Chung and Andrey Rublev. The evening session will start with the match between Denis Shapovalov and Gianluigi Quinzi and end in late evening with the fourth match between Danil Medvedev and Borna Coric.
