Round-robin action at the NextGen ATP Finals continues on Friday, when Learner Tien goes up against Nicolai Budkov Kjaer. Martin Landaluce and Rafael Jodar are set for an all-Spanish showdown.
(1) Learner Tien vs. (5) Nicolai Budkov Kjaer
Everything is still to play for in the Blue Group at the NextGen ATP Finals. Tien heads into the final day of round-robin competition in Jeddah with a 1-1 record, while Budkov Kjaer is a perfect 2-0. It is fair to say that Tien should be undefeated, as he missed four match points before losing to Rafael Jodar 1-4, 4-3(3), 1-4, 4-2, 4-3(4) on Wednesday. He then got the best of Martin Landaluce in four sets. Budkov Kjaer has defeated both Jodar and Landaluce.
Although Budkov Kjaer has a ton of talent and is playing well, there is a lot to like about Tien’s chances. The American left-hander is already up to No. 28 in the world, was the NextGen runner-up in 2024 (lost to Joao Fonseca), and wrapped up the 2025 regular season with an ATP 250 title in Metz. That kind of experience should see him get past the 136th-ranked Norwegian.
Pick: Tien in 4
(4) Martin Landaluce vs. (7) Rafael Jodar
Landaluce is 0-2, but he is not yet mathematically eliminated from semifinal contention. If he beats Jodar and Budkov Kjaer defeats Tien, Budkov Kjaer would win the Blue Group at 3-0 and everyone else would be 1-2 — in which case the second spot would come down to percentage of sets won or even percentage of games won.
After falling to Budkov Kjaer 4-1, 3-4(7), 4-2, 4-3(4), Landaluce lost to Tien 1-4, 4-1, 4-3(3), 4-3(2) on Thursday. Jodar followed up his thrilling upset of Tien with a 4-1, 4-2, 1-4, 4-2 setback against Budkov Kjaer. This should be a competitive contest between two Spaniards who know each other very well. A minor edge could go to Landaluce, who is slightly more rested and surely wants to earn at least one match victory before leaving Jeddah.
Pick: Landaluce in 5
WWW?
I’m abstaining from predictions. It just seems that not infrequently in tennis, someone who by ranking and experience should win easily is more likely to be defeated by those ranked way lower who aren’t expected to win than by people closer in ranking, especially if their ranking isn’t correlating accurately with their ability because they are still playing ITF, Challenger, etc. It’s a common pattern with Tsitsipas and a few others. Underdogs have less pressure on them.
Blockx appears to have benefitted tremendously from playing in Davis Cup. He may surprise if he gets to the final.