João Fonseca, 145th in the ATP ranking, won the Next Gen Finals by defeating American Learner Tien (122nd) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Fonseca, with an undefeated record, turned the match around and claimed the title with a 3-1 victory in 1 hour and 27 minutes. At 18 years and three months old, he became the third player under 19 to win the event since its inception in 2017.
Fonseca now joins Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who won the title at 18 years and two months, and 18 years and six months, respectively. Fonseca described the match as physically and mentally challenging but managed to turn the tide in his favor after a tough start. He credited his aggressive play in securing the victory.
In a competitive second set, Fonseca’s improved returns and strong performance in the tie-breaker gave him the edge. With confidence building, he dominated the following sets, ultimately securing the win with a score of 4-2. Prior to this final match, Fonseca had defeated Arthur Fils, Learner Tien, and Jakub Mensik to reach the semifinals as the top seed.
*Information sourced from Estadão Conteúdo