Tien turns promise into proof in Jeddah: 'I pulled it off'

  • Posted: Dec 21, 2025

Learner Tien had already begun to carve out his place on the ATP Tour, but his triumph at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF on Sunday delivered a far louder statement.

After defeat to Joao Fonseca in last year’s Jeddah final, the American carried that disappointment into a breakout 2025 season before returning to the 20-and-under showcase as the man to beat. But under mounting expectations, Tien showed maturity beyond his years, saving his finest tennis for a commanding 59-minute clinic over Alexander Blockx in the final.

“It’s very cool to be adding my name to the list of previous winners,” said Tien, who joined the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as champions of the event. “I think every player who has won this tournament has gone on to do very well, so it means a lot to be up there with those names.

“I’ve been waiting a year to hold this trophy… It feels great, especially after coming so close last year.”

A key pillar behind Tien’s rise has been his partnership with former World No. 2 Michael Chang, which began in August. Since then, Chang has helped guide the 20-year-old to his first ATP Tour title in Metz and a career-high ranking of World No. 28. Just as importantly, Chang’s family has become part of Tien’s support system — including Chang’s son Micah, who was courtside to cheer him on in the Jeddah final.

“Since we started working together, him and his whole family have given me so much support,” Tien said. “Micah has been there for a lot of my tournaments… It’s always nice to have him around. It adds a fun side — it makes the matches and some of these tense moments a little bit more lighthearted.”

The next wave of men’s tennis arrived in Jeddah armed with fearless shotmaking, eager to unsettle the World No. 28 and lone player inside the Top 100. Yet throughout the week, Tien underlined exactly why he has climbed so rapidly in 2025, blending variety, composure and a rock-solid all-court game to stay one step ahead of the field.

His path to the title was anything but straightforward. Tien endured a difficult start, squandering four match points in an opening loss to Rafael Jodar. With his campaign on the brink, he then faced a must-win clash against Nicolai Budkov Kjaer to escape the group. After dropping the first set, the American flipped the script, reeling off nine consecutive sets and carrying that momentum all the way to the title — fittingly avenging his 2024 final defeat.

“If I lost one more set in that match, I would have been eliminated,” Tien said of his four-set win over Budkov Kjaer. “After losing that first set, I won nine sets in a row, actually, so that’s cool. I’m very happy I was able to pull that off.”

Much of the attention in Jeddah centred on Blockx, widely tipped to crack the Top 100 in the near future, but Tien neutralised the Belgian’s explosive game with ease, delivering a one-sided final to close out the week in style.

With the Next Gen crown secured and his trajectory firmly pointing upward, Tien now turns his focus to 2026, where he is set to arrive at the Australian Open as a seeded player — no longer just a rising talent, but a proven force with his sights set on even bigger stages.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link