Luca Van Assche vs Nishesh Basavareddy Prediction Next Gen ATP Finals Tennis Picks 12/20/24

Luca Van Assche failed to back up his opening win at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals, losing to Alex Michelsen in four sets. The match lasted an hour and 45 minutes and took 18 games to decide.

In the defeat, Van Assche hit four aces and three double faults. He landed 68% of first-serve points and won 65% of first-serve points (31/48). Van Assche won 65 of second-serve points (15/23) and saved only one of three break points.

On his return game, the Frenchman converted three of six break points and finished the match with 14 winners and 27 unforced errors. Van Assche must win on Friday to secure a semifinal berth for the second consecutive year.

Nishesh Basavareddy Preview

Nishesh Basavareddy picked up his first match win at the Next Gen ATP Finals by beating World No. 50 Juncheng Shang. The young American looked deflated after losing to Alex Michelsen in his opening match very narrowly but played so well against an ailing Shang.

Despite dropping the first set in a tie-break, Basavareddy broke Shang's serve in the second and third sets to take the lead in the match and cruised in the fourth set. The match lasted an hour and 35 minutes.

Basavareddy will now come up against Luca Van Assche in a winner-take-all contest on Friday.

Luca Van Assche vs Nishesh Basavareddy Head-To-Head

• Van Assche and Basavareddy have never played each other before this.

Luca Van Assche vs Nishesh Basavareddy Prediction

The scenario in the Red Group is very straightforward. Michelsen is through to the semifinal. One of Van Assche or Basavareddy will join him. Each has scored one group-stage win so far. I've enjoyed watching Basavareddy this week. He has such a smooth signature backhand shot although there is still room for improvement in his game. Van Assche has had plenty of experience testing himself on the ATP Tour and even beating some high-profile names but is a modest 9-10 on indoor hard courts this year. By contrast, Basavareddy has been on tear in these conditions, winning 15 of 21 matches. It would take something special from Van Assche to stop him.