Van Assche reaches SFs in Jeddah, beats Basavareddy in crunch clash

Luca Van Assche delivered in a winner-takes-all clash to reach the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF semi-finals on Friday. The 20-year-old was locked level on points with Nishesh Basavareddy heading into their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting but battled hard against the American to earn a 3-4(2), 4-3(7), 4-2, 4-2 victory.

The Frenchman rebounded from losing the first set by saving one set point in the second-set tie-break to level the match. From there, Van Assche looked physically fresher than 19-year-old Basaverredy to roar to victory and set a semi-final clash with Blue Group winner Joao Fonseca.

"It was very, very close. I think I played at a good level. The start was tough but then I managed to play better," Van Assche said. "I managed my emotions well, especially when my head was exploding. I like to thank the public here because it was busy and they were cheering for me a lot. I am ready for the semi-finals."

Van Assche, who fell in the semi-final stage last year, is the fifth player to reach multiple semi-finals at the event. The 2023 finalist Arthur Fils will join Van Assche in the last four if he defeats Learner Tien in a winner-takes-all clash this evening in Blue Group.

Two-time semi-finalists at Next Gen ATP Finals

In an entertaining match, Van Assche successfully used the video review that is in place at the 20-and-under event to his advantage in the second set. Basavareddy approached the net and struck a volley winner but after a review, it was deemed the American double-hit a volley.

Van Assche ends Red Group play holding a 2-1 record, having lost to Red Group winner Alex Michelsen but beaten Shang Juncheng. Van Assche struck 31 winners to 15 from Basavereddy and committed 15 fewer unforced errors (22-37) in the two-hour clash.

Basavareddy finished the season in red-hot form, winning two ATP Challenger Tour titles since October to qualify for the event in Jeddah. The 19-year-old earned his maiden tour-level win against Shang but is now out, having lost to Van Assche and Michelsen.