The highest ranked player to take part in the Next Gen ATP Finals, a tournament organized in Jeddah, Learner Tien won in the final against Alexander Blockx and adds his name to the list.
This time, Learner Tien did not miss the meeting. Arriving in Jeddah with the label of favorite for the Next Gen ATP Finals due to his 28th place in the world rankings and his finalist status last year, the American player was able to go for the title. However, the week did not start well with an opening defeat against the Spaniard Rafael Jodar. However, after raising the tone to finish at the top of his group, the winner of the last Moselle Open made short work of his compatriot Nishesh Basavareddy to reach the final against Alexander Blockx, who defeated the Norwegian Nicolai Budkov Kjaer. A final, played in the best of five sets with a three-game tiebreak, which the Irvine native was able to dominate from start to finish. The meeting, however, started with a standoff between the two players.
Only one break point was signaled in the third game but Learner Tien was unable to make the most of it. A status quo which continued until the decisive game. Winning five of the first six points, Michael Chang’s student thought he had done the hardest part but he saw the Belgian almost erase his entire gap.
The first set point on his serve was the right one for the American. An ascendancy that the 28th player in the world did not come far from consolidating from the start of the second round. He once again lacked sharpness on the break point thus obtained. For his part, Alexander Blockx could only keep his back, failing to pose a problem to his opponent on his commitment. Moreover, at the gates of the decisive game, the 116th in the ATP ranking gave way. Taking the Belgian’s service, Learner Tien added to the score by winning this second set at the same time.
Tien erases the failure experienced in 2024
If the third started with each of the two players winning their serve with a shutout, the 28th in the world very quickly took the advantage in the exchange. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, he broke his opponent to lead three games to one and give himself the opportunity to conclude this final. With pride, Alexander Blockx let go of his shots to get his first break point of the match. Except that the native of Antwerp did not seize his chance. The decisive point then went in favor of Learner Tien, who sealed the fate of this final on the first match point (4-3, 4-2, 4-1 in 1h01′). After his defeat in the final against João Fonseca last year, the American succeeds the Brazilian in the Next Gen ATP Finals rankings, in which he finds players such as Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
