Round robin competition at the NextGen ATP Finals continues on Thursday, with Student Tien and Martin Landaluce facing off against the wall. Both Rafael Jodar and Nicolai Budkov Kjaer tied 1-0.
(1) Student Tien vs. (4) Martin Landaluce
Tien is the favorite to take the title at the NextGen ATP Finals. The 28th-ranked American finished second to Joao Fonseca 12 months ago, but Fonseca did not make the return trip to Jeddah and Jakub Mensik also withdrew. As such, Tien is the No. 1 seed. 1 – but it didn’t look like it on Wednesday. The left-hander saw four points disappear when he lost 1-4, 4-3 (3), 1-4, 4-2, 4-3 (4) to Rafael Jodar.
Next up for Tien on Thursday is a first-ever meeting with Landaluce, who fell to Nicolai Budkov Kjaer 4-1, 3-4(7), 4-2, 4-3(4) in the nightcap on Wednesday. The 134th-ranked Spaniard is a top prospect, but he lags behind Tien in his progression at the moment. After all, Tien is the top 30 player to finish his 2025 regular season with an ATP 250 title on the hard indoor courts of Metz.
Select: Merge to 3
5) Nicolai Budkov Kjaer vs. (7) Rafael Jodar
It will be a repeat of the 2024 US Open boys’ singles final when Budkov Kjaer and Jodar meet again on Thursday. The show last summer did not disappoint, as Jodar won the final tiebreaker. Although that match was competitive, the Spaniard completely won the super-‘breaker 10-1. Jodar also came up big in tiebreakers on Wednesday, winning both of his matches against Tien.
Budkov Kjaer also posted a great result in his first Jeddah. The 136th-ranked Norwegian was 0-3 lifetime in the head-to-head series against Landaluce before finally getting over the hump with a four-set victory on Wednesday. Budkov Kjaer is playing well, but perhaps no one in the field is as hot as Jodar these days. Not only did the world No. 168 upset Tien, but he also won two of the last three Challenger events he entered in 2025.
Pick: Jodar at 4
