It’s semi-final day at the NextGen ATP Finals, where the all-American clash features Student Tien and Nishesh Basavareddy. Alexander Blockx, who came out undefeated in the group stage, faces Nicolai Budkov Kjaer.
(1) Student Tien vs. (6) Nishesh Basavareddy
Tien and Basavareddy will be facing each other for the fourth time in their careers on the professional tour when they fight for a place in the NextGen ATP Finals title match on Saturday night. All three of their previous meetings have gone Tien’s way, including the latest with a 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-2 decision this summer at Wimbledon. He has taken seven consecutive sets against his fellow American since dropping the first at the 2024 Bloomfield Hills Challenger.
Tien’s back was against the wall during the round robin tournament in Jeddah. World No. 28 lost his opening match from four match points against Rafael Jodar. After beating Martin Landaluce, Tien needed to beat Nicolai Budkov Kjaer in more than four sets on Friday. The left-hander scored the first goal but scored three in a row to qualify for the semis. With momentum in hand, Tien must maintain his strength for this game.
Select: Merge to 4
(2) Alexander Blockx vs. (5) Nicolai Budkov Kjaer
The Red Group in Jeddah was a one-man show. Basavareddy compiled a 2-1 record, but could not compete with Blockx. The 116th-ranked Belgian is undefeated and has lost only two sets in three matches – beating Basavareddy, Dino Prizmic, and Justin Engel.
However, this semi-final against Budkov Kjaer may not be straightforward. The Blue Group was very strong on paper and the 136th-ranked Norwegian held his own against tough competition. Before falling to Tien, Budkov Kjaer defeats Landaluce and Jodar in mostly fashion. This should be a high quality tournament, with a chance to go to the most dominant player so far this week – Blockx.
Pick: Blockx at 5
