Next Gen ATP Finals Round-Up | Learner Tien and Alexander Blockx advance effortlessly to championship match

The Next Gen ATP Finals semifinal duels took place this Saturday, highlighted by an all-American showdown in which World No. 28 Learner Tien smoothly overcame Nishesh Basavareddy—the youngster coached by Gilles Cervara, Daniil Medvedev’s former coach—to reach the final in Jeddah for the second consecutive year.

Hours earlier, Belgian Alexander Blockx defeated Nicolai Budkov Kjaer in a battle of former Junior Grand Slam champions. The 20-year-old, the tournament's second seed, is the only player to emerge from the Round Robin undefeated, reaching the final in his first Next Gen Finals appearance. Blockx and Tien previously faced off in the 2023 Australian Open Junior final, where the Belgian claimed the victory in a third-set tie-break (6-1, 2-6, 7-6[11-9]).

The afternoon's first duel featured a European challenge: Belgium's Blockx (No. 116) overcame Norway's Budkov Kjaer (No. 136) in a match between two players who reached No. 1 as juniors, lifted Grand Slam trophies, and are also close friends—as both have commented throughout the week in Jeddah.

In the first set, neither player yielded in their service games, leading to a tie-break without either player winning even two points on the return in a single game. Once the tie-break began, Blockx secured two consecutive mini-breaks, racing ahead to a 6-2 lead. Although Budkov saved three set points, Blockx finally seized his opportunity to take the opener 4-3(4).

Things didn't change much in the second set, as both remained evenly matched, though Blockx was slightly more consistent on serve. With the score at 2-2, the break finally came in favor of the Belgian—after he had squandered up to three earlier opportunities. Although he served for the set, he couldn't handle the tension of the moment; Budkov responded with a break, sending the set to a tie-break once again. It was of little use to the Norwegian, who struggled consistently with his second serve, and Blockx ultimately secured the set in the breaker.

Although the duel had been tight, the details tipped the scales in favor of the Belgian, who maintained his concentration from start to finish. The third set began with consecutive breaks from both players, keeping everything level until 2-2. However, in the final moments, Budkov Kjaer lost his composure, allowing Blockx to close out the victory and advance to the final in straight sets.

Learner Tien (No. 28) justified his status as favorite and advanced to the Next Gen Finals championship match for the second year in a row, comfortably defeating his compatriot and friend Nishesh Basavareddy (No. 167) in straight sets. The left-hander displayed his superior experience at the top level and an ability to manage his emotions during high-tension moments, delivering an impeccable performance.

The first set was a roller-coaster in which both players had to deal with serving issues: Tien dropped his serve twice, while Basavareddy was broken three times. A single held service game in favor of Tien was what dictated the advantage for the young player coached by Michael Chang, who took the set 4-2.

In the second set, things began with Basavareddy securing an opening break—though he still hadn't defended his own serve up to this point. Tien recovered with a pair of consecutive breaks and closed out the set comfortably at 4-1—winning 69% of the points played. By this stage, Basavareddy had not defended any of his 5 service games, largely due to a low first-serve percentage (barely 20% first serves in during the second set).

In the third set, Basavareddy managed to raise his level and defended his serve for the first time in the match at the start—saving a 15-40 situation. It seemed the momentum might shift in favor of Basavareddy as he settled into his serve, but Tien maintained his composure on his own delivery, waiting for his chance. The set went to a tie-break, where the Top-30 Tien showed greater consistency to seal the victory without complications and—like Blockx—advance to the final in straight sets.