Dec 17, 2025
3 min read
Ten students will headline the action during the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF on Wednesday.Read more about Day 1 here...
It's time to see which young star will cement his place on the elite list of champions at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, where the first round-robin day begins on Wednesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
All eight participants will play on the opening day, including last year's finalist Lerner Tian, who will face Spain's Rafael Hodar in the evening match.Tian leads the blue group while top seed Alexander Blox starts his campaign against 18-year-old Justin Engel of Germany in the red group.
[1] Learner Tien (USA) vs [7] Rafael Jodar (ESP) [Sadurunge jam 19.00]
Last year, Thien competed in Jeddah at No. 122 in the PIF ATP rankings, and after a stellar season, the 20-year-old returned as a player in the top 30. In the final ATP Tour event of the 2025 season, Thien was crowned champion at Metz, his first tour-level trophy.
What's interesting is the clash of styles between Lefty Tian and Jordahl. While the American's game is built on crafty field coverage and brick-wall consistency, 19-year-old rookie Joe Dahl will look to be proactive and take shots from the baseline.
Last season, Jodar was a runner-up in that event and is now one of eight competitors in the 20-and-under event.Jodar enjoyed an outstanding ATP Challenger season, in which he became the third young Spaniard to win at least three titles at this level, joining world No. 1 Carlos Alcarez and former No. 9 Nicolás Almagro.Virginia, where he is a sophomore.
Teacher Tien at Silver Sands Beach ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP FinalsCredit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
[4] Martin Landaluce (ESP) against [5] Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (NOR) [跟随 Tien-Jodar]
For the first time in the eight-year history of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by the PIF, there are two Spaniards in the field.Next to Jodar in Team Blue is his best friend Landaluce, who both grew up at Club de Tenis Chamartin in Madrid.
Landalus and Budkov Kjaer have met three times this year at the ATP Challenger, with the Spaniard winning each time.Budkov Kjaer, 19, was one of six players to win four ATP Challenger titles this season.
[3] Dino Prismic (CRO) vs [6] Nishesh Baswardy (USA) [2 hours]
Prizmic and Basavareddy will kick off this year's edition with their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meet.Basavareddy, who recently welcomed coach Gilles Sarvara to his team, is competing in Jeddah for the second year in a row.
Highlights of Prismic's season included a second tour-level quarter-final appearance on home soil in Umag, where he also reached the last eight in 2023. The Croatian won two ATP Challenger titles this year and reached three additional finals.
Dinah Prizmak eh Jeddah.Famtlaja: Sorin Dobril/Ateb Tur
[2] Alexander BlockKes (Bel) against [8] Justin Engel (convert) [not before 15:00]
The 18-year-old Engel is the youngest competitor in the field, which historical was a promising mark.Jannik Sinner (2019), Carlos Alcaraz (2021) and Joao Fonseca (2024) have all taken the trophy as the youngest participants in their respective draws.
Engel became the youngest ATP Challenger champion of 2025 with his victory in Hamburg.He also reached the Stuttgart ATP 250 quarterfinals as a wild card, then ranked No. 281 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Blockx, who won two ATP Challenger titles this year, won his first tour-level match at the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati.He then added to that tally in Metz, where he competed in the main draw via the Next Gen Accelerator path.
Match order - Wednesday, December 17, 2025
SENTRAL COURT START 2:00 PM
[3] Dino Prizmic (CRO) vs [6] Nishesh Basavareddy (USA)
Not before 3:00 p.m
[2] Alexander Blockx (BEL) proti [8] Justin Engel (GER)
No Before 7:00 pm
[1] Student Tien (USA) vs [7] Rafael Jodar (ESP)
[4] Martin Landluss (ESP) Vs.[5] Nikolai Budkov Cager (NOR)
