We have reached the semi-finals of the ATP Next Gen Finals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The round-robin phase of the event is over, and it's time to fight for the title. Michelsen will square off with Tien, while Fonseca will face Van Assche.
These two young American players are best friends outside the court. Michelsen won his group, the red one, with three wins out of three possible. Tien finished second in the blue group with two wins. He had a huge and decisive match versus Arthur Fils in the last match of the round-robin, which he won, thereby securing his spot in the semis.
The 19-year-old left-hander is ranked at the 122nd position in the world. Tien lost to Fonseca but defeated Mensik and Van Assche in the round-robin.
Alex Michelsen defeated Juncheng Shang, Luca Van Assche, and Nishesh Basavareddy in the round-robin stage in Jeddah. Michelsen had a great season in 2024, reaching two ATP 250 Finals (Newport and Winston-Salem). Alex is currently ranked at the 41st spot in the world. He is the more experienced player out of the two.
The format is best of five sets, but the sets are played first to four games instead of six.
The Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca won all three of his matches in the round-robin. He took good care of Arthur Fils, Jakub Mensik, and Leander Tien. He will face the Frenchman Luca Van Assche. Fonseca was the lowest-ranked player of the eight in Jeddah, so he has done very well so far in Saudi Arabia. The 18-year-old Fonseca is ranked at number 145 in the world.
Luca Van Assche and Fonseca are good buddies off the court, and this is the first time ever they will face each other in an official match on the ATP tour. The 20-year-old Van Assche finished second after Michelsen, defeating Juncheng Shang and Nishesh Basavareddy but losing to Michelsen. Van Assche is ranked at the 128th spot in the world.
