Day Three Preview: Cadet Tien vs. Nicolai Budkov Kjaer in exciting round-robin final in Jeddah | ATP Tour

Next Generation ATP Finals

Day 3 preview: Tien vs Budkov Kjaer in exciting RR final in Jeddah

Spaniards Landalus and Hodar compete in the blue group; Basavareddy vs. Engel, Blockx vs. Prizmic in the red group

December 18, 2025

Three semi-final spots will be up for grabs on Friday, the final day of the Next Generation ATP Finals round-robin tournament hosted by PIF in Jeddah.

Alexander Blockx, who leads the red group, was the only player to advance, while Nicolai Budkov Kjaer of the blue group won 2-0. Last year’s finalist Learner Tien will disrupt the Norwegian’s rhythm in the final game of the day, after friends Martin Landaluce and Rafael Jodar compete at Tour level for the first time.

Nishesh Basavareddy opens the red bracket against Justin Engel and Blockx takes on Dino Prizmic.

Check out the schedule for Day 3 here | View qualification scenarios here

[1] Learner Tien (USA) vs [5] Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (Norway) [second match from 7 p.m.]Budkov Kjaer has been out of reach so far with the Blues leading 2-0, but Tian believes he can hold off the Norwegian’s charge. Tenn, ranked 28th in the world and the only player ranked in the top 100, has yet to reach his best – squandering four match points in an error-strewn loss to Jordal – although he showed signs of recovery in a four-set comeback victory over Landalus.

Last year’s finalist knew what it took to win in Jeddah and faced a stern test from Budkov Kjaer, who overwhelmed his opponents with baseline power and consistency. The 19-year-old, who has won a tour-leading four Challenger titles this season, is aiming to complete a perfect 3-0 sweep of the group stages and become the first Norwegian to reach the semi-finals in the tournament’s history.

[4] Martin Landalus(ESP) vs. [7] Raphael Hodahl (ESP) [not before 7 p.m.]Childhood friends Landalus and Jordahl will leave the familiar behind for a long-awaited clash, with both debutants in need of victory to keep their semi-final hopes alive. The two Madrid natives have been playing together since the age of nine, but only one of them is likely to extend the 2025 season.

Landalus has struggled with his aggressive style so far, going 0-2 and may be tested by Jordal’s high-risk, high-reward matchup. Jordal saved four match points against Thien earlier this week to earn the biggest win of his career, but also committed 34 unforced errors in a loss to Budkov Kjaer – a flaw he must control in a game filled with tension and drama.

[6] Nishesh Basavareddy (USA) vs. [8] Justin Engel (Germany) [not before 2 p.m.]Competing in Jeddah for the second consecutive year, Basavareddy aims to improve on last year’s 1-2 finish and advance to the semi-finals. The American, accompanied by new coach Gilles Cervara in Jeddah, will look to bounce back from a three-set loss to Blockx. The 20-year-old is 1-1 this week.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Engel, the youngest player in the field, is vying for his first win in his debut. The German suffered two four-set losses but showed plenty of firepower from the baseline, a trait he will take advantage of against Basavaredi. In June, Engel became the second youngest player since 1990 to win a tour-level match (excluding Davis Cup) on all three surfaces (hard courts, clay and grass). Only Rafael Nadal has accomplished this feat at a younger age. He followed that up with victory in Hamburg in October, becoming the youngest ATP Challenger Champion in 2025.

[2] Alexander Blokes(Belgium) vs. [3] Dino Przymic (CRO) [second match from 2 p.m.]
Bullocks has shown off his clutch instincts this week, going 2-0 in the Red Group and narrowly missing out on a pair of tiebreakers against Basavaredi on Thursday. The 20-year-old dramatically saved three set points in the second-set tiebreak alone. Brockers showed off his strong serve and raw firepower from the baseline, saving 12 of the 13 break points he faced in the two games, according to Infosys ATP Statistics.

The 20-year-old is the first Belgian to reach the semi-finals in the event’s eight-year history, but his focus will first be on avenging February’s loss to Prizmic, who beat Blockx 6-3, 6-2 at the Hardcore Indoor ATP Challenger Tour in Lugano. Prizmic earned his first win against Engel on Thursday to improve to 1-1 in round-robin play.