Next Gen ATP Finals: Tien finds redemption and joy in Jeddah

Rising to the occasion

“It’s very cool to be adding my name to the list of previous winners,” said Tien in Jeddah. “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.”

Belgium prodigy Alexander Blockx blazed into title contention, having reached the final undefeated from his four matches in Saudi Arabia. That served up a re-match of the 2023 Australian Open boys’s singles final, which Blockx won 6-1, 2-6, 7-6(9) across the net from Tien. They also duelled at Roland-Garros 2023 in the junior ranks, with Tien leading 6-4 prior to a retirement from Blockx.

On Sunday night, with Rafael Nadal watching on from the stands, the top two seeds collided and Tien prevailed 4-3(4), 4-2, 4-1 in the innovative, shorter set formatted tournament.

“I’m super happy,” declared Tien, the second American to win the title after Brandon Nakashima in 2022. “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.”

The week in Jeddah exemplified why the 20-year-old has evolved into a Top 30 talent in 2025.

Tien surrendered four match points in a pulsating first day defeat by Spain’s Rafael Jodar. Dusting himself down, the left-hander responded in style from a slow start in his ‘must win’ third group stage clash versus Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, to soar to the title.

“If I lost one more set in that match, I would have been eliminated,” added Tien, reflecting on his four-set triumph over Budkov Kjaer.

“After losing that first set, I won nine sets in a row, actually, so that’s cool to pull that off.”

A breakthrough season

Earlier in 2025, Tien qualified for the Australian Open and reached the Last 16. However, his game has elevated even higher since August, having enlisted former world No.2 and Roland-Garros 1989 champion Michael Chang as coach.

The American partnership has seen Tien capture a maiden ATP title in Metz, just prior to heading to Jeddah, as the 20-year-old currently sits at a career-high ranking of No.28.

“I don’t feel like he’s a coach that says a lot during matches,” continued Tien. “But when he feels like I need to hear something, he’s never shying away from telling me, and I think that helps me a lot.

“Since we started working together, him and his whole family have given me so much support.”