A year after falling just short of the title, top-seeded American Learner Tien defeated Belgium’s Alexander Blockx 4-3(4), 4-2, 4-1 to win the under-20 season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals on Sunday in Jeddah, cementing his status as one of the brightest young talents in men’s tennis.
Tien suffered an early upset in round-robin play, squandering four match points in a loss to Spain’s Rafael Jodar. But the American responded by winning his next three matches to reach the final, where he defeated Blockx in straight sets to lift the trophy.
Tien entered the tournament as the clear favorite, ranked world No. 28—nearly 100 places higher than any other player in the eight-man field. Blockx, the No. 2 seed, arrived ranked No. 116. Despite the disparity, Tien’s title hopes were briefly in jeopardy after his opening loss to Jodar, leaving him with little margin for error to advance out of the group.
Facing elimination, Tien dug deep. He rallied from a set down in each of his remaining group-stage matches, then cruised through the knockout rounds without dropping a set. In doing so, he became just the third top seed to win the Next Gen ATP Finals, following Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2018 and Carlos Alcaraz in 2021, and only the second American champion after Brandon Nakashima in 2022.
The win also served as redemption for Tien, who lost last year’s final to João Fonseca. This season, he returned to Jeddah with far more experience, having completed his first full year on the ATP Tour. The rest of the field—comprised of the top players aged 20 and under—entered the tournament ranked between No. 116 and No. 187.
Tien’s path to the title was anything but straightforward. After his opening setback, he faced a must-win group match against Nicolai Budkov Kjaer. Once again dropping the first set, the American flipped the script, reeling off nine consecutive sets from that point forward and carrying the momentum all the way through the final.
Sunday’s championship match showcased Tien’s composure and efficiency. Playing under the Next Gen format, which features four-game sets and no-advantage scoring, Tien committed just 12 unforced errors compared to Blockx’s 23. The match lasted just under an hour.
Blockx did not miss a first serve in the opening set, but Tien remained steady and edged the tiebreak. From there, he took control, only facing break points once while serving for the match in the third set—saving both with authority.
The win capped off a standout 2025 season for Tien, who won his first ATP Tour title at the Moselle Open in Metz, recorded five wins over Top 10 opponents—including a straight-sets win over world No. 2 Alexander Zverev—reached the second week of the Australian Open, and surged through the rankings, breaking into the Top 100, Top 50, and Top 30 for the first time.
