ATP Next Gen Finals 2025 Final Preview: Learner Tien vs Alexander Blockx

By Tomasz Wilk

23 Dec 2025

Tomasz Wilk 23 Dec 2025

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Tien and Blockx to meet in ATP Next Gen Finals on 21 December 2025
Both players excelled in different styles; Blockx remains unbeaten
Close final expected, Tien's experience might be pivotal

Alexander Blockx of Belgium and Learner Tien of the United States pose with their trophies after the Junior Boys’ Singles Final during day 13 of the 2023 Australian Open. (credit: Getty)

Final Schedule
Road to the Final
Head-to-Head
Stats & Facts
Past Champions – ATP Next Gen Finals
Match Outlook

Today’s Next Gen ATP Finals comes down to one match in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with Learner Tien facing Alexander Blockx for the title. The under-21 showcase wraps up its 2025 edition on December 21 and is played on fast indoor hard courts with the sprint-style format. First to four games, no-ad scoring, and very little margin to settle into rallies.

Tien arrives as the top seed and highest-ranked player in the field at world No. 28, while Blockx comes in unbeaten after handling the tempo and pressure better than most all week. Both have looked comfortable with the speed and decision-making this format demands, setting up a tight finish to the ATP Next Gen Finals where small moments are likely to decide it.

Final Schedule

Match: Learner Tien vs Alexander Blockx
Event: ATP Next Gen Finals 2025
Stage: Final
Date: Sunday, 21 December 2025
Time: 20:00 local time (Jeddah)
Surface: Indoor hard
Format: Best of five sets, first to four games per set (no-ad scoring, tie-break at 3-all)

Road to the Final

Learner Tien of USA acknowledges the crowd after victory at the Next Gen ATP Finals (Getty)

Learner Tien

Tien carried the pressure from day one after finishing runner-up last year and it showed early, with a slightly stuttering start in the group stage. Since then, he has steadily found his rhythm, tightening his level as matches went on and handling key moments better with each round. The semi-final was his most dominant performance of the week, arriving at exactly the right time heading into the final.

Round	Opponent	Result
Group	Jodar	lost 1-4, 4-3, 1-4, 4-2, 3-4
Group	Landaluce	won 1-4, 4-1, 4-3, 4-3
Group	Budkov Kjær	won 2-4, 4-1, 4-2, 4-2
Semi-final	Basavareddy	won 4-2, 4-1, 4-3

Alexander Blockx of Belgium reacts during his Men's Singles Group Stage match at the Next Gen ATP Finals (Getty)

Alexander Blockx

Blockx has been sharp from the opening ball and has looked the most complete player in Jeddah throughout the tournament. His serve has held up under pressure, his forehand has dictated most rallies, and he has stayed composed in tight finishes. He remains unbeaten this week and is still yet to be pushed into a deciding set going into the final.

Round	Opponent	Result
Group	Engel	won 3-4, 4-2, 4-2, 4-2
Group	Basavareddy	won 4-3, 4-3, 4-1
Group	Prizmic	won 4-3, 2-4, 4-2, 4-0
Semi-final	Budkov Kjær	won 4-3, 4-3, 4-2

Head-to-Head

This will be the first time Learner Tien and Alexander Blockx meet at professional level. They did, however, cross paths twice on the junior circuit, with the head-to-head split at one win apiece.

Blockx owns the more significant of those two results. He defeated Tien in three sets in the final of the Boys’ Australian Open in 2023, the biggest match they have played against each other to date. Tien’s win came earlier that same year on clay at Roland Garros juniors, showing the contrast in conditions where each has found success.

Junior Head-to-Head Results

Tournament	Year	Surface	Round	Winner	Score
Roland Garros Junior Championships	2023	Clay	R3	Learner Tien	6–4
Australian Open Junior Championships	2023	Hard	Final	Alexander Blockx	1–6, 6–2, 7–6

Stats & Facts

Learner Tien is contesting consecutive finals, arriving in Jeddah after lifting his maiden ATP title in Metz last month. His record in tour-level championship matches now stands at 1–2.
Tien is aiming to become only the second American to win the ATP Next Gen Finals, following Brandon Nakashima, who claimed the title in 2022.
Alexander Blockx is the first-ever Belgian to reach the final of the ATP Next Gen Finals, marking a historic breakthrough for his country at this event.
Blockx holds a 5–3 record in professional title matches overall, though this is his first final at a tournament above Challenger level.
He is also looking to extend a clear tournament pattern, with six of the last seven ATP Next Gen Finals champions going on to lift the trophy without dropping a match all week.

Past Champions – ATP Next Gen Finals

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates with the trophy after his win over Sebastian Korda of USA in the final match during Day Five of the Next Gen ATP Finals (Getty)

The ATP Next Gen Finals has a proven record of producing future stars, with past champions going on to become Grand Slam contenders and tour leaders. From Chung Hyeon and Stefanos Tsitsipas to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the event has consistently highlighted players ready to make the jump to the top level, a trend that has continued since the move to Jeddah.

Year	Venue	Champion	Runner-up
2017	Milan	Chung Hyeon	Andrey Rublev
2018	Milan	Stefanos Tsitsipas	Alex de Minaur
2019	Milan	Jannik Sinner	Alex de Minaur
2021	Milan	Carlos Alcaraz	Sebastian Korda
2022	Milan	Brandon Nakashima	Jiří Lehečka
2023	Jeddah	Hamad Medjedovic	Arthur Fils
2024	Jeddah	João Fonseca	Learner Tien

No tournament held in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Match Outlook

Learner Tien’s counterpunching and return depth will be tested against Alexander Blockx’s first-strike tennis and aggressive serving. If rallies are drawn out and patterns repeat, Tien’s consistency and defensive skills could start to tilt the balance. If Blockx dominates early points and keeps matches short, the Belgian has the firepower to put sets away quickly.

Either way, this shapes up as a tight, closely contested final, with over games lines likely to be breached and a deciding set very much in play. If pushed to name an outright winner, the lean would be toward Tien, banking on his greater big-stage experience to outweigh Blockx’s red-hot form from an explosive week in Jeddah.

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