Who will be Next? Fonseca, Tien chase glory in Jeddah final

If Joao Fonseca was not on your radar before this week, he certainly will be now following his run to the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title match. The 18-year-old is the second youngest player in tournament history, but has played with a maturity beyond his years in Jeddah, where he enters Sunday’s final undefeated.

The Brazilian earned impressive wins against top seed Arthur Fils and third seed Jakub Mensik in the Blue Group play and then dispatched Frenchman Luca Van Assche in the semi-finals for the loss of just five games. Standing in his way in the title match is the second-youngest player in the field, Learner Tien. The American lost in four sets to Fonseca earlier this week and will be desperate for revenge in the championship match, which takes place at 8 p.m. local time, 6 p.m. CET and 12 p.m ET.

The future is 𝐍𝐎𝐖 👏

The two youngest players this week will face for the title in Jeddah ⚔️#NextGenATPFinals pic.twitter.com/jMW86MmKYy

— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) December 21, 2024

Tien was somewhat of an unknown quantity when he arrived at the 20-and-under event. While he won three ATP Challenger Tour titles in 2024, more than any other player in the Jeddah field, he had only earned three tour-level victories, which all came en route to the quarter-finals in Winston-Salem.

However, the 19-year-old defeated Fils, second seed Alex Michelsen and Mensik to become the first player in tournament history to beat the top three seeds. He is now just one match away from becoming the second American to win the title (Brandon Nakashima 2022), but is aware of the test that awaits.

"It would be amazing to win,” Tien said. “I played Joao a few days ago and it was a rough one. There are no easy matches. To have another shot at Joao after losing earlier this week would be pretty cool. I have one more to go, so I hope I can get it done.”

Former Next Gen ATP Finals Champions

At No. 145 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Fonseca is the lowest-ranked finalist in tournament history. But if you watched him on court, you would not know it. The 18-year-old reached the quarter-finals on home soil at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro in February, demonstrating a big-match mindset throughout his impressive breakthrough run on home soil. That winning mentality, combined with his thunderous game, has been on show this week.

“I am very proud with myself with the way I played. I have been really solid. I did what I was told to all week, which was to play aggressively,” Fonseca said. “When you are going to a tournament you always have to believe. My goal was to enjoy it here, I was the last to qualify. I just enjoyed and I love to play in these big stadiums. I am playing really, really well this week and have one more match to go."

Learn more about Tien
Learn more about Fonseca

If Fonseca triumphs on Sunday, he will become the second-youngest champion, joining the elite company of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who won the crown aged 18 in 2019.

“It would be amazing to replicate Sinner,” Fonseca said. “It shows I am on the right track and would be special.”

Sinner and Fonseca have spent time together in the past and earlier this year the Italian helped the Brazilian make a crucial decision, which you can learn more about here...

While this will be Tien and Fonseca's second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, they also met in the US Open Boys’ singles final in 2023. Fonseca triumphed 15 months ago but Tien has grown substantially since. The 19-year-old began the season outside the Top 450 but is currently at No. 122 in the PIF ATP Rankings, troubling opponents with his variety and baseline consistency.

“I am happy with where my game is at," Tien said. "The crowd has been great all week and it is always great to play in these environments and I feel ready for whatever challenge I face [on Sunday].”

So, the question remains: Can Tien round out his breakthrough season with a title or will Fonseca clinch the trophy and claim the $526,480 undefeated champion prize money? Watch the action on Sunday to find out.

What is the prize money for the Next Gen ATP Finals Presented by PIF IN $US?
The prize money for the Next Gen ATP Finals Presented by PIF is $2,050,000.
Undefeated Champion: $526,480
Final Win: $153,000
Semi-Final Win: $113,500
Each Round-Robin Match Win: $36,660
Participation Fee: $150,000
Alternate: $15,000

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