It’s a do-or-die match! With Alex Michelsen securing the top spot in the Red Group, now the question is who’ll take the second spot? Nishesh Basavareddy recently defeated Juncheng Shang in the second match to keep his SF hopes alive at the Next Gen ATP Finals. Shortly after his first tour-level win, Basavareddy was heard saying, “I never expected to be here this year, it’s been a lot of good results and a lot of hard work that’s led to this, so I am super happy.” Next up for him is France’s Luca Van Assche! This Frenchman is one of the three players in the field competing in Jeddah for the second consecutive year. Even his hope to reach the SF is well alive! Who’ll win this epic battle?

Nishesh Basavareddy vs Luca Van Assche: Preview

Nishesh Basavareddy is one of the brightest prospects in American tennis at the moment! This 19-year-old tennis player from California has already won two titles this season. The first one came in October this year at the Challenger Tiburon, US and then the second one was at the Puerto Vallarta Open where he defeated Canada’s Liam Draxl 6-3,7-6(4). Here in Jeddah, Basavareddy didn’t have a great start to his campaign as he was defeated by his compatriot Alex Michelsen in the first match 4-2,3(5)-4,3(4)-4,2-4. However, he came back strongly in the next match against China’s Juncheng Shang. He took just 1 hour 38 minutes to beat Shang in a four-set thriller!

On the other hand, Luca Van Assche started the season with a bang! He reached the third round of the 2024 AO, but over there he was defeated by Greek star, Stefanos Tsitsipas. After that, he made quite a few SF runs in the challenger events. Here in the Next Gen ATP Finals, Van Assche started his campaign with an impressive win against Shang. However, in the second match, he went down against America’s Alex Michelsen 4-1,2-4,3(6)-4,3(5)-4. Now, it’ll be interesting to see who between Basavareddy and Van Assche takes the first step forward toward the SF in Jeddah!

Basavareddy vs Van Assche: Head-to-Head

Nishesh Basavareddy and Luca Van Assche have never played against each other so far in their careers. Who in between these two is the favorite to win this contest, though?

Prediction: Basavareddy to win the match in five sets

Both these players will be desperate to come out of this match with flying colors. However, looking at their performances in the previous tournaments this season, we feel, that Nishesh Basavareddy (138) will have a slight edge over Luca Van Assche (128) in this epic encounter. Basavareddy has a win-loss record of 49-17 this season, whereas it’s just 33-37 for the Frenchman. This match has all the ingredients to go deeper than expected, so getting the grip of the match right from the word ‘go’ will be extremely crucial on Friday (December 20).

Now, if we take a look at their playing styles, Nishesh Basavareddy is known for his aggressive style of play. He often relies on his venomous groundstrokes and quick footwork, allowing him to dominate the rallies. Apart from these, his incredible ability to adapt between hard and clay court surfaces showcases his versatility. Although he’s still a newcomer, Nishesh Basavareddy has gained a fair bit of experience this season and has also refined his techniques a bit and this is what now makes him a real formidable opponent on the court!

On the other hand, Luca Van Assche is a right-handed player who loves using his two-handed backhand which provides both power and control. His aggressive baseline game allows him to put pressure on his opponents and dictate the rallies. Other than that, his incredible speed and agility make him a real threat on the court.

All things considered, we feel this match will go deep, but when it comes to picking a winner, it’s Nishesh Basavareddy for us at the moment!