Is the second time the charm for student Ten?
Tien finished runner-up to Joao Fonseca at the 2024 NextGen ATP Finals. 12 months later, the 20-year-old American is back in the final, this time against Alexander Blockx.
With Fonseca and Jakub Mensik withdrawing from Jeddah, Tien and Blockx were left as the top two seeds. For the most part, that’s how they’ve played this week – especially Blockx. The 20-year-old Belgian cruised through the Red Group with a 3-0 record, dropping just two sets in those matches. Blockx continued his dominant form on Saturday, beating Nicolai Budkov Kjaer 4-3(4), 4-3(8), 4-2.
Tien came close to bowing out of the tournament in the round-robin competition. The left-hander lost his opening match to Rafael Jodar and eventually had to beat Budkov Kjaer in a maximum of four sets on Friday. That’s exactly what Tien did, coming back from a set down to win in four and secure a spot in the semi-finals. With a new lease of life, Tien obliterated compatriot Nishesh Basavareddy 4-2, 4-1, 4-3(3) on Saturday evening.
Tien’s experience at last year’s NextGen ATP Finals plus a slew of big matches on the ATP Tour last season will stand him in good stead on Sunday. Jeddah’s top seed should have an edge, but it won’t be easy against a red-hot Blockx.
Choice: Ten in 5
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