Learner Tien returns, Rafael Jodar makes debut, day one begins in Jeddah | ATP Tour

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Tien returns, Jodar debuts, day one begins in Jeddah

Blockx vs. Engel, Prizmic vs. Basavareddy, Landaluce vs. Budkov Kjaer

December 16, 2025

It’s time to see which young star can cement his place among the elite list of champions at the Next Generation ATP Finals presented by PIF, with the first day of the round-robin tournament kicking off on Wednesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

All eight competitors will compete on the opening day, including last year’s finalist Learner Tien, who will take on Spain’s Rafael Jodar in the evening. Tien headlines the blue bracket, while Alexander Blockx, the top seed in the red bracket, starts his match against 18-year-old Justin Engel of Germany.

[1] Learner Tien (USA) vs [7] Raphael Hodahl (ESP) [not before 7 p.m.]
Tian competed in Jeddah last year and is ranked 122nd in the PIF ATP Rankings, with the 20-year-old returning as a top-30 player after a breakout season. In the final ATP Tour event of the 2025 season, Tian won the title in Metz, his first tour-level trophy.

What’s interesting is the clash of styles between Lefty Tian and Jordahl. While the Americans’ game is built on crafty court coverage and brick-wall consistency, 19-year-old freshman Joe Dahl will look to take the initiative and call the shots from the baseline.

Jordahl was a sparring partner in the event last season and is now one of eight competitors in the 20-and-under event. Jordal has had a stellar ATP Challenger season, becoming the third Spanish teenager to win at least three titles at this level, following world number one Carlos Alcaraz and former number nine Nicolás Almagro. The Madrid native has wins at Hersonissos, Lincoln and Charlottesville at the University of Virginia, where he is a sophomore.

^{Student Tian on the Silver Beach on the eve of the 2025 Next Generation ATP Finals. Photo credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}

[4] Martin Landalus(ESP) vs. [5] Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (Norway) [Following Tien-Jodar]
For the first time in the eight-year history of the Next Generation ATP Finals hosted by PIF, two Spaniards will compete. Joining Hodahl in the Blue Group is his close friend Landalus, both of whom grew up training at the Chamartín Tennis Club in Madrid.

Landalus and Budkov Kjaer have met three times this year at the ATP Challenger Tour, with the Spaniard winning each time. Budkov Kjaer, 19, is one of six players to win four ATP Challenger titles this season.

[3] Dino Przymic(CRO) vs. [6] Nishesh Basavareddy (USA) [2 p.m.]
Prizmic and Basavareddy will kick off the year with their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. Basavareddy recently welcomed coach Gilles Cervala to his squad, which is competing in Jeddah for the second consecutive year.

One of Prizmic’s season highlights was reaching the quarter-finals at tour level for the second time in his hometown of Umag, and reaching the quarter-finals in 2023. The Croatian won two ATP Challenger titles this year and reached the final three other times.

^{Dino Prizmich in Jeddah. Photo credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}

[2] Alexander Blokes(Belgium) vs. [8] Justin Engel (Germany) [not before 3 p.m.]
At 18, Engel is the youngest competitor in the field, which has historically been a promising sign. Jannik Sinner (2019), Carlos Alcaraz (2021) and Joao Fonseca (2024) all lifted the trophy as the youngest entrants in their respective draws.

Engel won in Hamburg and became the youngest ATP Challenger Champion in 2025. He also reached the quarter-finals of the Stuttgart ATP 250 as a wild card and subsequently ranked 281st in the PIF ATP rankings.

Bullock won two ATP Challenger titles this year and won his first tour-level match at the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. He then joined that number in Metz, where he competed in the main race via the Next Generation Accelerator pathway.

Order of Play – Wednesday 17 December 2025
CENTER COURT starts at 2:00 pm
[3] Dino Przymic(CRO) vs. [6] Nishesh Basavareddy (USA)

Not before 3:00 p.m.
[2] Alexander Blokes(Belgium) vs. [8] Justin Engel (Germany)

Not before 7:00 p.m.
[1] Learner Tien (USA) vs [7] Raphael Hodahl (ESP)
[4] Martin Landalus(ESP) vs. [5] Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (Norway)