Is second time the charm for Student Tien?
Tien finished second to Joao Fonseca at the 2024 NextGen ATP Finals. Fast forward 12 months and 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 they played like it this week – especially Blockx. The 20-year-old Belgian cruised through the Red Team with a 3-0 record and dropped just two sets in those matches. Blockx continued his top form on Saturday, beating Nicolai Budkov Kjaer 4-3(4), 4-3(8), 4-2.
Tien was about to exit the tournament in the round robin tournament. The left-hander lost his first match against Rafael Jodar and eventually had to defeat Budkov Kjaer in more than four sets on Friday. That’s exactly what Tien did, coming back from a layup to win in four and secure a spot in the semis. With a new lease on life, Tien blanked teammate Nishesh Basavareddy 4-2, 4-1, 4-3(3) on Saturday night.
Tien’s experience at last year’s NextGen ATP Finals and a host of main stage matches on the ATP Tour this past season will serve him well on Sunday. Top seed Jeddah should have an edge – but it won’t be easy against the hot Blockx.
Select: Add to 5
