Tien Tops Blockx, Wins Next Gen ATP Finals Title 

Learner Tien
Learner Tien (photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour)

JEDDAH/WASHINGTON, December 21, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

Throughout King Abdullah Sports City this week, the slogan for this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals, the last one to be held in Jeddah, “It all starts here,” has been very evident. It’s catchy and has great meaning.

On Sunday, it all ended here – and with 22-time major champion Rafael Nadal in the audience, smiling and nodding his approval as a Saudi Tennis Federation ambassador.

Top seed Learner Tien of the United States defeated No. 2 seed Alexander Blockx of Belgium, 4-3 (4), 4-2, 4-1, in 59 minutes to become the third No. 1 seed to win the Next Gen ATP Finals title. He follows in the footsteps of 2018 winner Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and 2021 champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. 

Tien, who won $502,250 in prize money during the tournament, is also the second American after Brandon Nakashima in 2022 to lift the year-end trophy awarded to the winner of ATP Tour‘s event for the top 20-and-under players. 

“I’m super happy,” Tien said during his on-court interview looking back on a very successful 2025 season that ended with a four-match winning streak after an opening loss to Spain’s Rafael Jodar. “I was able to check a lot of boxes that I wanted to this year. I had a pretty long list of goals I wanted to hit, and I was able to get most of them. I’m really happy.”

Tien, who finished the year with a 36-24 win-loss record and won his first tour-level title (at Metz, France) in his first full year on the ATP Tour, sought revenge in multiple ways when he faced Blockx in the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals title match. Last year’s runner-up took on the tall and powerful Belgian, who had defeated him before in a big final, at the 2023 Australian Open junior boys’ event. 

The World No. 28 Tien, the only Top 100 player in the field, was asked about his prior meeting against 116th-ranked Blockx after his 4-2, 4-1, 4-3 (3) semifinal victory over fellow American and No. 6 seed Nishesh Basavareddy. He said: “The only thing I remember is that it was the most heartbreaking loss of my life to that point.” After all, Blockx won a final set tiebreaker 11-9.

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-4-inch Blockx had distanced himself from the rest of the competitors with his powerful serve, which had produced 43 aces and more than 100 winners in his four earlier victories, and had lost just two sets en route to being the first Belgian finalist in Jeddah. While Blockx’s strength and speed had been his allies – and he showed a look of confidence all week, too – Tien chiseled away and found a way to break through while keeping his opponent on the back foot throughout much of the final.

A 20-year-old lefty from Irvine, Calif., Tien also had some unfinished business that he had been wanting to take care of since losing last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals title match to Joao Fonseca of Brazil, when he was ranked 122nd and fell to the 145th-ranked Brazilian. Namely, to win the Next Gen trophy and join Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner of Italy among the distinguished past champions of the Next Gen ATP Finals. He was the second man to reach multiple finals since Alex de Minaur of Australia in 2018-19. 

Tien recalled last year’s skirmish with Fonseca. “He just kind of ran away with it,” he said Saturday during his on-court interview after his semifinal win. “I’m obviously trying to not let that happen again.” And, in the end, he didn’t.

While Tien attempted to become the second winner of the Next Gen ATP Finals from the United States, Blockx looked to become the fifth European champion after Tsitsipas (2018), Sinner (2019), Alcaraz (2021) and Hamad Medjedovic of Serbia (2023).

From the first ball, Sunday evening’s final provided everyone with plenty of excitement and entertainment. After all, what was not to like about Blockx hitting a successful between-the-legs return that Tien immediately reacted to and won the point with a running forehand volley winner. Blockx won the opening game with a solid ace, the first of seven that he hit during the title match. By the change-over following the fifth game, Blockx had struck five aces – each with quality and purpose, and hit confidently.

As Blockx placed 100 percent (21 of 21) of his first serves in play in the opening set, Tien nearly matched him point for point while playing solid tennis and taking whatever came his way. The first set would be decided by a tie-break after each held steady at 3-all. It went in favor of Tien, who jumped out to a 5-1 lead and coasted to a 7-4 win. He overcame 11 winners by Blockx and some very good serving by his opponent. It was just the third set Blockx had lost all tournament.

Then, with Tien ahead 3-2 (15-40) after winning nine of nine first-serve points during the second set, he broke Blockx on his first opportunity to win the set 4-3. The 20-year-old Belgian committed his eighth unforced error of the second set after hitting a ninth-shot forehand return long to kill the rally. Suddenly, Tien looked in charge as reflected by his two-sets-to-none lead. He had faced zero break points on his serve and would end the match saving both break points he faced.

As the third set unfolded, Tien opened up a 3-1 lead after breaking Blockx’s serve on a 40-all deciding point by winning a seven-shot rally. Suddenly, serving for the match and the championship, Tien immediately went ahead 30-0 before a double fault and an unforced error leveled the game score. Next, Blockx hit a solid, pinpoint-accurate forehand winner to set up a break point. However, Tien won a 14-shot rally to set up a deciding point/championship point scenario. 

At last, Tien won the game (4-1), the match (three sets to none), and the title by surviving one final 10-shot rally. He raised his arms in victory at the end of the 59-minute battle and was congratulated at the net by Blockx. All was good between them.

Tien finished with nine winners – seven of them from his forehand side – and made only 12 unforced errors, compared to 18 winners and 24 unforced errors by Blockx. Tien, who 37 points from the baseline and six more at the net, outpointed Blockx 58-42.

“I’m really happy. I knew it was going to be a tough match,” Tien said after the match before lifting the champion’s trophy. “I don’t think he missed a first serve for the first set and a half. I think he’s been playing great in these conditions, so I’m just really happy to get through.”

A year after his first attempt at winning the Next Gen ATP Finals title faltered, Tien could finally celebrate. He went over and hugged his coach, former French Open champion and Hall of Famer Michael Chang.

Asked about their pupil-coach relationship, Tien said: “I don’t feel like he’s a coach that says a lot during matches. But when he feels like I need to hear something, he’s never shying away from telling me, and I think that helps me a lot.”

In offering congratulations to Tien during the trophy ceremony, Blockx said: “Learner, what a year you’ve had! There’s not a lot of days where I feel helpless on court, but today was one of them. You were just too good.”

By the numbers

Sunday marked the third time the Top-2 seeds met in the title match of Next Gen ATP Finals in tournament history after 2018 (No. 1 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. No. 2 Alex de Minaur), and 2021 (No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz def. No. 2 Sebastian Korda).

“Quotable …”

“I’ve had a lot of fun this week. Everything was amazing here – the organization, the staff – I think it’s one of the best events I’ve been to and the crowd today was amazing, also. … I think I can start my [new] season with a lot of confidence.”

– No. 2 seed Alexander Blockx of Belgium, during his trophy ceremony speech Sunday evening, after finishing runner-up.

 

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