The groups for the 2022 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals were set Saturday in Milan.
Italian Lorenzo Musetti is making his second appearance at the 21-and-under event and will led Red Group alongside Jack Draper, Chun-Hsin Tseng and Dominic Stricker.
Dane Holger Rune arrives in Italy off the back of a standout season, having won two tour-level titles. The 19-year-old will compete in Green Group with Brandon Nakashima, Jiri Lehecka and Francesco Passaro.
Green Group
Holger Rune (Denmark)
Brandon Nakashima (United States)
Jiri Lehecka (Czech Republic)
Francesco Passaro (Italy)
Red Group
Lorenzo Musetti (Italy)
Jack Draper (Great Britain)
Chun-Hsin Tseng (Chinese Taipei)
Dominic Stricker (Switzerland)
Musetti will lead home hopes in Milan at the fifth edition of the event. The 20-year-old, currently at a career-high No. 23 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, has enjoyed an impressive year. Musetti lifted his maiden ATP Tour trophy in Hamburg in July before he soared to success on home soil in Naples.
The Italian will look to follow in the footsteps of previous Next Gen ATP Finals champions Hyeon Chung, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Top seed Rune, who made his debut in Milan last year, is in red-hot form, having won 18 of his past 20 matches. The 19-year-old captured the crown in Stockholm last month and is still alive in Paris, where he will compete in the semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event on Saturday.
Nakashima trained in Milan on Saturday after earning his place following another strong year. The 21-year-old American clinched his maiden tour-level title in San Diego, while he reached the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Draper will also be aiming for a deep run on debut in Milan. The 20-year-old Briton started the season No. 265 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings but has climbed to a current career-high No. 45. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the quarter-finals at an ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal and then defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime at the US Open.
Seven different countries are represented in the eight-man singles field, with the event to be held at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, from 9-13 November.
