the essential
At 27, Frenchman Alexandre Muller is trying to find a place among the best in the world. This Sunday, January 5, he will try to win his first ATP tournament against Kei Nishikori, former 4th in the world and returning from injury.
The start of 2025 smiles on the French on the courts. In Brisbane, young Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard fought his way to the semi-finals. In Hong Kong, his elder Alexandre Muller did even better since he qualified for the final on January 4. He will face the Japanese Kei Nishikori, Asian Tennis legend who was 4th in the world and finalist at the US Open in 2014.
To achieve this second career final, the 67th player in the world had it tough. He defeated Hüsler then Kecmanovic before winning the Franco-French duel which pitted him against Arthur Fils. In the semi-finals, it was the Spaniard Juan Munar who ended up giving up in the face of Muller's tenacity.
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The particularity of his journey? He won all of his matches after losing the first set. Against Munar, he was even down 3-1 in the second set. In the 8th, he had to save two match points before winning (5-7/7-6/7-6) at the end of the tie-break of the last set, winning 12 points to 10. He is only the 11th player in the history of the ATP circuit to have accomplished such a performance as reported by the X Game, Set and Maths account. A journey as admirable as it is rare which amuses even the main person concerned.
“A lot of confidence for the season”
“This morning, that's what we said to each other with my coach, 'the plan is to lose the first set and then go for it'”, he jokes in an interview given to our colleagues at the Team. These scenarios allow him to draw from the “positive” and build “a lot of confidence for the season”.
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It is now a matter of winning a first title and it is probably not his most affordable opponent of the week who awaits him. Kei Nishikori, bothered by injuries for several seasons, is making a thunderous comeback and, at 35, he hopes to treat himself to some great emotions before hanging up the racket. A title would certainly be a deliverance for both. The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday January 5, around 9:30 a.m.
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“It’s up to me to go for the title. A title is the holy grail,” confirms the Frenchman. He thus hopes to continue his progression which has been constant since 2021. He is now firmly established in the Top 100 but is looking for breakthroughs. A title in Hong Kong would definitely be one. His opponent, more accustomed to major events, could better enter his final. But even with a set behind, don't count on Alexandre Muller to give up the fight!
