Day 2 Next Gen Preview: Nicolai Budkov Kjaer and Rafael Jodar look for SF spots in Jeddah | ATP Tour

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Day 2 Preview: Budkov Kjaer and Jodar looking for SF location in Jeddah

Blockx meets Basavareddy, Tien faces Landaluce, Prizmic faces Engel

December 17, 2025

Day two of the Next Generation ATP Finals, hosted by PIF in Jeddah, will see the stakes high as players compete to strengthen their position in the red and blue divisions.

Thursday’s match is significant as last year’s finalist Tian will aim to rebound and avoid slipping to 0-2 in the Blue Group after conceding four match points in a five-set loss to Rafael Hodahl. American Tien takes on Martin Landaluce, while Jodar and Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, the winners of the first day in the blue category, will face off.

Tian’s compatriot Nishesh Basavareddy, who is also competing in Jeddah for the second year in a row, recorded a victory on Wednesday and will now face second seed Alexander Bloks in the red group. Debutants Dino Prizmic and Justin Engel will be looking for first wins in the 20-and-under competition.

Check out the schedule for Day 2 here | View qualification scenarios here

[5] Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (Norway) vs [7] Raphael Hodahl (ESP) [not before 7 p.m.]
Day one winners Budkov Kjaer and Joe Dahl are targeting a semi-final spot when they face each other on Thursday. The pair are in hot form at the 2025 ATP Challenger Tour, winning seven titles between them, and performed well in the opening match in Jeddah.

Jordahl defeated top 30 star Tenn for his first victory in the top 100 and made fond memories of defeating Norwegian Budkov Kjaer in the 2024 US Open men’s singles final. Budkov Kjaer was aggressive in four sets against Landalus to take a 1-0 lead in the round-robin match.

[1] Learner Tien (USA) vs [4] Martin Landalus (ESP) [following Budkov Kjaer-Jodar]Tenn, ranked 28th in the world, is a strong contender for the Jeddah title and will try to bounce back from his loss to Jordahl when he takes on Spain’s Landalus. Tian won his first ATP Tour title in the final week of the regular season in Metz, but his five-match winning streak ended on day one in Jeddah.

Landalus needs to win the biggest win of his career in the PIF ATP Rankings if he wants to stay relevant in the 20-and-under competition. Earlier this season, the 19-year-old won his second ATP Challenger title with a victory at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati. Can the Spaniards add another victory on Thursday?

[2] Alexander Blokes(Belgium) vs. [6] Nishesh Basavareddy (USA) [not before 3 p.m.]
The showdown between the 20-year-olds pitted Brockers’ powerful serve against Basavaredi’s sharp receiving skills. According to Infosys ATP statistics, Brockers hit 17 aces in his first victory over Engel, with a first-serve scoring rate of 85%. Basavareddy, meanwhile, showed aggression on second serve returns, scoring 57% against Pryzmich.

In a first-to-four format, this tug-of-war of serve and return left little room for error, with the Red Team’s only lead hanging in the balance. Basavareddy, who recently welcomed coach Gilles Cervara to his squad, is competing in Jeddah for a second consecutive year, while Blockx is enjoying his first trip to the 20-and-under competition. Thursday will be the first Lexus ATP Head2Head match between Blockx and Basavareddy.

[3] Dino Przymic(CRO) vs. [8] Justin Engel (Germany) [2 p.m.]
The beauty of the round robin is that even though Prizmic and Engel both lost on opening day, they’re still in contention, albeit with a lot to make up for. The 20-year-old Prizmic defeated Engel 6-2, 6-2 at this year’s ATP Challenger Clay Court event in San Marino, sending the Croatian into the final. Prizmic won two ATP Challenger titles this year and reached the final three other times.

Engel this season became the second youngest player since 1990 to win a tour-level match (excluding Davis Cup) on all three surfaces (hard, clay and grass). Only Rafael Nadal has accomplished this feat at a younger age. The 18-year-old showed off his forehand firepower in his first match against Blockx and will now aim to rebound and earn his first win. After four sets, Brooks spoke highly of Engel, calling the youngest player on the court “an unbelievable player.”