Jakub Mensik became the latest star from the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF class to make his mark on the big stage on Sunday when he overcame Novak Djokovic to capture his maiden tour-level title at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami.
With his stunning run at the Miami Open presented by Itau, which also featured Top 10 wins against Taylor Fritz and Jack Draper, the 19-year-old Czech became the ninth-youngest Masters 1000 champion since the series began (1990). He is also just the fourth player to win his first ATP title at a Masters 1000.
Mensik was the latest teen to have his moment in the sun this year, following Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien, who have also earned standout wins in 2025. The Brazilian Fonseca defeated the American Tien in the title match in Jeddah in December and since both have gone from strength to strength.
At the Australian Open, Fonseca upset World No. 9 Andrey Rublev to reach the second round before he captured the crown in Buenos Aires, becoming the youngest South American to win a title in the ATP Tour era (since 1990). The 18-year-old also lifted the trophy at the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Phoenix in March.
One year ago, Fonseca was outside the Top 600 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Now he is at a career-high No. 59 and one of the most talked-about players on Tour, with fans eager to watch the teen in action.
Last week in Miami, the 18-year-old defeated Tien in one of the best matches of the tournament and Ugo Humbert before he fell to Top 10 star Alex de Minaur. Thousands of Brazilian fans were in attendance for his matches, creating a partisan atmosphere by waving flags and roaring their charge on.
"My first impression here is just I felt really [like I was] in Brazil," Fonseca said on his Miami experience. "I mean, not only the crowd, but the organisation treated me like I was in Brazil. So it was super cool. I really like the tournament.
"I knew it was going to be crowded, but I didn't know it was going to be, like, huge. Yeah, it was super nice being here."
Fonseca’s first-round opponent Tien, triumphed at three ATP Challenger Tour events in 2024 before making the final in Jeddah. The 19-year-old American has built on that success in style in 2025.
At the Australian Open he won one of the matches of the season when he defeated Daniil Medvedev in a fifth-set tie-break. The American backed that up by beating Corentin Moutet in the third round to become the youngest player to reach the fourth round in Melbourne since Rafael Nadal in 2005.
The lefty earned his second Top 10 win against Alexander Zverev in Acapulco, where he advanced through qualifying to reach his second tour-level quarter-final (Winston-Salem 2024).
Which #NextGenATP star will be next to make his mark in 2025?
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