By Tony Fairbairn
- Dominic Stricker [7] def Jack Draper [3] 4-3(5) 4-3(5) 4-3(5)
- Draper v Chun-Hsin Tseng [6] | H2H: First Meeting
MILAN, ITALY – Jack Draper was edged out by Dominic Stricker in straight sets in his opening group stage match at the Next Gen Finals and now faces Chun-Hsin Tseng.
Dominic Stricker [7] def Jack Draper [3] 4-3(5) 4-3(5) 4-3(5)
Jack Draper lost his opening match at the Next Gen Finals in straight sets to Dominic Stricker in a tight contest. The tournament in Milan brings together some of the brightest young players on the tour for an end of season finale. This tournament sees also a lot of experimental rules including a best of five set first to four games scoring format that gave Draper an opportunity to test his stamina and fitness ahead of the Australian Open.
Stricker was no mean feat for the Brit as an opening match and the opening set proved exactly why that was with the seventh seed using his power and athleticism to carve out opportunities. The Swiss superstar secured the early break on a sudden death deuce to secure a 3-1 lead but Stricker failed to close out the set as Draper used power of his own to retaliate.
The Brit saved four set points and won a sudden death deuce of his own to break back before securing a hold to love to force an opening set tiebreak. Despite securing the early mini-break advantage, Draper could not hold on as he failed to neutralise Stricker’s powerful forehand into the open court. Stricker’s forehand did all the damage as he secured the opening tiebreak 7-5.
There was more security from both players in second set as Draper found more consistency from the baseline with his groundstrokes. Both players overcame tight service games in the early exchanges of the match and never really looked back as another tiebreak came in the second set.
This time it was Stricker who had the early mini-break and looked to be in control before Draper unleashed some heavy shot-making to save two set points. However in the end Stricker sealed the two set lead with another massive forehand into the open court.
In the third set, Stricker continued to dominate and control the baseline exchanges as he looked to finish the match without the need for a tiebreak. In the sixth game, the world number 111 created four match points but the Brit saved all of them including a ridiculous serve and volley as another tiebreak would occur.
Eventually though Stricker would edge another tight tiebreak as the Swiss secured a big victory while Draper has work to do ahead of the remaining two matches in his group.
Jack Draper [3] v Chun-Hsin Tseng [6] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Jack Draper [3] v Chun-Hsin Tseng [6] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Next Gen Finals 2022 | Milan, Italy |
| Indoor Hard | Prize Money: $28,000 |
| Third on Centre Court (Not before 18:30 GMT) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Draper will now have a rematch of the 2018 Wimbledon juniors final with Chun-Hsin Tseng in his next group match.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)
| H2H: | Jack Draper (WR 41) | Chun-Hsin Tseng (WR 90) |
| Tournament Previous Best | N/A | N/A |
| 1st Serve % | 58.3 | 57.2 |
| Service Games Won % | 85.3 | 67.8 |
| Break Points Saved % | 70.9 | 55.5 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 52.3 | 54 |
| Break Points Converted % | 40.3 | 29.3 |
Draper will need to be wary of Tseng’s first serve percentage but will be confident in his returning efficiency heading into this match.
Playing Styles and Prediction
Tseng’s transition from the juniors circuit to the main tour hasn’t been as successful as his expectations but the 21 year-old has still enjoyed a consistent season on the challenger tour. Now Tseng will hope that this tournament can provide the foundations for further development and better results at bigger events for next season.
Draper will look to be more aggressive on return and create more opportunities especially with Tseng’s limitations in attack. The Brit should win this match comfortably if he continues to work the angles with his power and spin but Tseng will do his best to make this match as awkward as possible on serve.
Prediction: Draper in straight sets.
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