Twenty-year-old South Korean Hyeon Chung beat Andrey Rublev 3-4 4-3 4-2 4-2 in just under 2 hours to lift the title at the inaugural edition of the ATP Next Gen Finals in front of enthusiastic fans who packed the sold-out Fiera Milano. Chung saved seven of the nine break points against Rublev and 34 of the 44 break points saved during this week.
Chung served at 70 % and fended off 7 of the 9 break points he faced, although he won just 9 of the 24 points on his second serve. He converted six of his 10 break points. Rublev served at only 48 % and lost 43 % of the points in his games.
In the first set Rublev held serve three times from 30-30 and never faced a break point. Chung saved four break points in the fourth game, the last one when Rublev sent a forehand long on the deciding point. Chung managed to hold his serve at deuce in the sixth game to force the first set to the tie-break. Rublev earned his third mini-break on the 11th point for 6-5 when Chung sent his backhand long. The Russian player closed out the tie-break by 7-5 with a service winner.
Rublev got an early break at the start of the second set fended off a break point in the fourth game to build up a 3-1 lead. He served for the set in the sixth game, but Chung broke back in the sixth game in one of the most crucial moments of the match, after Rublev made a double fault to force the second set to the tie-break. Chung earned two mini-breaks to close out the set by 7-2, when Rublev sent his backhand long.
Chung got an early break at the start of the third set, as Rublev netted a forehand. Rublev broke back in the fourth game after Chung made a backhand error.
Chung broke again in the fifth game and served out for the set in the sixth game with a crosscourt forehand winner. The 2013 Wimbledon Junior finalist broke serve in the first game after a 25-stroke rally and raced out to a 3-1 lead with two holds of serve. He earned two championships points on Rublev’s serve in the fifth game. Rublev saved them to claw his way back to 2-3 forcing Chung to serve for the match. Rublev brought up two break points but Chung fended off the first chance with a service winner to force the sixth game to the deciding point. Chung clinched it at 3-2 40-40 with a forehand winner to seal the title without losing a match in this tournament.
Chung won the first ATP Next Gen title and a cheque of $ 390000 in prize money. Before Saturday Chung had reached only a tour-level semifinal in Munich and the quarter final in Barcelona.
“I am just really happy because it was a really tough match against Rublev. After losing the first set and going down a break in the second, I was really nervous. I was angry, but I had to stay poker face, because he is also nervous in the finals. He was better than last time. I was trying to play my best. At 3-2 nothing changed in my mind. He was playing really good in the first two sets. I was just waiting for my chance. I got it to take the second set. I was playing better in the third and fourth sets. When Rublev played really good in the first and second sets, I was just trying to play a lot down the line, because I was playing a lot of crosscourt in the first and second sets. I was just trying to hit down the line and I am just trying to make him run. I was playing better and better. ”
Chung has become the first South Korean player to win a title since Hyung Taik Lee in 2003.
“I train sometimes with him. When I play in the Davis Cup, he is playing captain, so I am just training with him. It’s a great honour to play with him”.
