Tien, Landaluce enjoy memorable weeks, increase Jeddah hopes
Learner Tien and Martin Landaluce were the big winners in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah in the past week.
Tien made his biggest breakthrough yet at the ATP 500 event in Beijing, where he became the second-youngest finalist in tournament history. The 19-year-old lefty defeated Top 10 star Lorenzo Musetti and former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev at the China Open.
Tien, the third-youngest tour-level finalist this season, lost to Jannik Sinner in the title match but now holds a 7-5 career record against Top 20 opponents. The American is up one place to second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah on 1,170 points and is set to compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF for the second consecutive year, having reached the final last season.
“It’s been a great week,” Tien said following the final in Beijing. “Obviously I would have loved to go all the way. Regardless, I’m super happy with the week. It’s my first semi-final, my first final, so I’m very happy with the progress I’m making.
“I’m learning a lot week to week just playing more matches each week. This is my first year on tour, so I think every week I’m gaining a lot of experience, playing a lot of new players, playing different environments, just a lot of different matchups. It’s all great all these experiences I’m getting.”
View PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah
One player hoping to join Tien in Jeddah from 17-21 December is Landaluce. The Spaniard captured his first ATP Challenger Tour title of the season in Orleans, climbing three spots to fifth in the Live Race To Jeddah on 406 points. He is 165 points clear of ninth-placed Justin Engel, who is the first player outside the Top 8 qualification cut.
The 19-year-old won the US Open boys’ singles event in 2022. He captured his maiden Challenger title last October in Olbia and is now aiming for his maiden trip to the 20-and-under event.
“Martin has a great balance on and off court and it will help him a lot throughout his career,” Landaluce’s coach Oscar Burrieza told ATPTour.com in September. “He is a positive person and he is a happy and very calm guy and that will help. We are working hard on his consistency when he strikes it harder but the big thing is his fitness. Mentally he is ready, he is a very resilient person, so he knows how to suffer and is very brave. He goes big on the important moments. We have a lot ahead of us.”
Germany’s Engel was also a big mover, rising three positions to ninth. The 17-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals on home soil in Stuttgart this year, advanced to the semi-finals in Orleans.
The PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah runs until Monday, 10 November, with the Top 8 players qualifying. Joao Fonseca lifted the trophy in 2024.
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