The NextGen ATP Finals get underway on Wednesday in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia with all eight players in round-robin competition. Top seed Arthur Fils kicks off his campaign against Joao Fonesca, while Jakub Mensik faces Learner Tien.
(1) Arthur Fils vs. (8) Joao Fonesca
Fils and Fonseca will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they clash in the Blue Group of the NextGen ATP Finals in Jeddah on Wednesday evening. Their only previous encounter came this past season on the red clay of Rio de Janeiro, where Fonseca rolled 6-4, 6-0 in front of the home crowd.
That was the 18-year-old’s most impressive win and best tournament during the 2024 campaign, but the rest of the season pretty much belonged to Fils. The 20-year-old Frenchman soared to 20th in the rankings while earning 37 match victories on the main tour. Fonseca, on the other hand, is just 7-8 lifetime at the ATP level. The Brazilian also played well at times during the fall swing, but Fils is the far superior player at this point in their careers and a move from clay to an indoor hard court should result in a much different story from their Rio meeting.
Pick: Fils in 3
(3) Jakub Mensik vs. (5) Learner Tien
Mensik has climbed to No. 48 in the world after winning 25 main-tour matches in 2024 (had previously won three). The 19-year-old Czech made a run to the Doha final in February and his fall swing featured a quarterfinal performance at the Shanghai Masters–where he ousted both Andrey Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov–and a quarterfinal showing in Vienna as a qualifier.
Up first for Mensik in Jeddah is Tien, whom he has never faced. Tien is much lesser known, but the 19-year-old American has been playing great in 2024. The University of Southern California product captured seven titles during the regular season (four Challengers, three Futures) in addition to one Challenger runner-up finish. Tien also reached the Winston-Salem quarters, but he still has very little experience at the ATP level. Mensik is a step up in competition for the left-hander and Jeddah’s No. 3 seed has wields a power game that works very well in indoor conditions.
Pick: Mensik in 4
