Following five intense days of tennis action, the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF sees last year’s runner-up Learner Tien surging to a 4-3(4), 4-2, 4-1 victory against Belgian Alexander Blockx, claiming the crown in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“I’m super happy,” outlined the world No. 28 after a dominant showing on Sunday evening. “I was able to check a lot of boxes that I wanted to this year. I had a pretty long list of goals I wanted to hit, and I was able to get most of them. I’m really happy.”
Tien, who faced heavy pressure throughout the tournament, after losing his opening round-robin match, saved his best tennis performance at the venue for last.
The 20-year-old proved too strong, mentally and physically, against Blockx, whose brilliant campaign at the competition resulted in reaching the championship match unbeaten on debut.
A balanced opening set led the title contenders into a tiebreak in which Tien prevailed 4-3(4) at King Abdullah Sports City.
From there, the final turned into a one-sided affair with the top seed finding his best tennis in the end-of-season event for players aged 20 and under, sealing the triumph in one hour.
“I knew it was going to be a tough match, I don’t think he missed a first serve for the first set and a half,” added Tien. “He’s been playing great, so I’m just really happy to get through.”
The favorite to win the crown, who in 2024 missed out to eventual champion Joao Fonseca, arrived in Jeddah off a breakthrough season in which he lifted his first tour-level trophy in Metz last November.
Also, the left-handed, coached by Michael Chang, went on to reach another career milestone in Beijing, advancing into a first career ATP 500 final, but fell to Jannik Sinner in straight sets.
Early in January, he had become the youngest American man to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open since Pete Sampras in 1990.
Meanwhile, Blockx made history for his country, becoming the first Belgian player to make it through the final in the tournament staged in Jeddah.
Among the highlights of the Belgian season is his Masters 1000 debut at the Miami Open as a qualifier and a first victory on tour in Cincinnati by beating world No. 64 Marcos Giron.
“I’ve had a lot of fun this week,” said the second seed. “Everything was amazing here; the organisation, the staff, I think it’s one of the best events I’ve been to, and the crowd today was amazing, also.”
The future is bright for the young stars who, after taking a brief break, will start preparing to compete at the highest level in the upcoming season.