Scouting Report: Learners Tien, Martin Landaluce, Alexander Blockx find success in Jeddah | ATP Tour
Scouting report
Scouting Report: Tien, Landaluce, Blockx find success in Jeddah
An executive summary of what every fan should know about next week’s content
December 16, 2025
Colleen Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Learner Tien was a finalist last year, while Martin Landaluce and Alexander Blockx made their debuts.
Written by ATP Staff
After an exciting year of competition, the 2025 ATP Tour season will come to an end this week at the PIF Next Generation ATP Finals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Eight of the best players aged 20 and under will compete for the title, with competition starting on Wednesday at King Abdullah Sports City.
Last year’s finalist Learner Tien made headlines in the field after a breakout season. He will be making his second consecutive appearance and will be aiming for a better result this year after losing to Joao Fonseca in the 2024 final.
Alexander Blockx, Dino Prizmic, Martin Landaluce, Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, Rafael Jodar and Justin Engel made their debut at the Next Generation ATP Finals presented by PIF, while American Nishesh Basavareddy Basavareddy) joins Tien as the only two returning players.
Ahead of this innovative event, ATPTour.com looks at the main storylines in Jeddah.
1) Early redemption: Tien returns to Jeddah, this time as the top seed and leading contender, aiming to avenge his loss to Fonseca in last year’s final. The 20-year-old American enjoyed a breakout 2025 season that included a maiden Tour title in Metz, an ATP 500 final in Beijing and five wins over top-10 opponents. Now ranked at a career-high No. 28 in the PIF ATP Rankings, he aims to cap off his unforgettable season by claiming the title.
2) Landaluce & Jodar on behalf of Spain: Landalus and Jordahl, close friends and compatriots, will make their debuts in Jeddah, a step up from their supporting roles as replacement and batting partner respectively last year. In 2025, Landalus lifted the trophy at the ATP Challenger Tour in Orleans, France, and advanced to the second round at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati. Jordahl, who currently plays at the University of Virginia, qualified for Jeddah after winning three Challenger titles in the final three months of the season. They were placed in the blue group along with Tien and Budkov Kjaer.
3) Basavareddy is back, powered by Cervara: Basavareddy returns to Jeddah for the second consecutive year. He returns with a solid foundation, winning tour-level events in Cincinnati, Winston-Salem and Hangzhou, and reaching the semifinals in Oakland early in the season. Now he is aiming for greater success under new coach Gilles Cervara, who guided Daniil Medvedev to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
4) Engel, the youngest player, hunting for glory: Engel, 18, is the youngest player in the field and the first German player to advance. This season he became the first player born in 2007 to win the Challenger title (Hamburg) and the second youngest player (after Rafael Nadal) to win at tour level in all three tournaments. Engel now hopes to join Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Fonseca as the only 18-year-old winners of the event.
5) Budkov Kjaer leads five former junior Grand Slam champions: Norwegian Budkov Kjaer is having a breakout season, winning a tour-leading four ATP Challenger titles. The 2024 Wimbledon men’s tennis champion is one of five players to win a junior Grand Slam title, joining Randa Luz (2022 US Open), Brockers (2023 Australian Open), Prizmich (2023 French Open) and Jordahl (2024 US Open).
