Scouting Report: Fils, Michelsen, Mensik headline field in Jeddah
To draw the curtain on a thrilling ATP Tour season, the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF will shine a light on the eight brightest 20-and-under stars, who all get underway in Jeddah on Wednesday.
Top seed Arthur Fils and American Alex Michelsen are back for a second consecutive year, with the Frenchman aiming to go one better than his runner-up finish in 2023. ATP Newcomer of the Year Jakub Mensik, Shang Juncheng, Learner Tien, Nishesh Basavareddy and Joao Fonseca will all make their first appearance at the event, while sixth seed Luca Van Assche is back in Jeddah for a second straight year after his semi-final run in 2023.
Ahead of the innovative event, ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch.
[ATP APP]1) Fearless Fils eyes title: Fils’ standout season, underpinned by two ATP 500 crowns in Hamburg and Tokyo, has earned him the status as top seed in Jeddah for a second straight year. After falling short in last year’s final to Hamad Medjedovic, the No. 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings is eager to go one further and forge a memorable run to this year’s title, but will he succeed?
2) Michelsen leads American trio: Second seed Michelsen is back in Jeddah for a second straight season after reaching a further two ATP Tour finals in 2024. The 20-year-old is joined by countrymen and friends Tien and Basavareddy, who have all known each other for the past 10 years. Second seed Michelsen opens against Basavareddy on Wednesday, having shared the spoils at two ATP Challenger events in 2023.
3) Menacing Blue Group: Fils is joined in the daunting Blue Group by World No. 48 Mensik, three-time ATP Challenger Tour champion in 2024 Tien and 18-year-old Fonseca. Top seed Fils will have his work cut out from the onset as he opens against Fonseca, who beat the Frenchman 6-0, 6-4 en route to the quarter-finals in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year in the pair’s only previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.
4) Shang flying Chinese flag: Fourth seed Shang has enjoyed a historic season on the ATP Tour, having become the first Chinese player to win a title on home soil after his run in Chengdu. The 19-year-old has climbed inside the World’s Top 50 and has now carved his name as the first player from his nation to compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.
5) Jeddah hosts for second year: The King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia, will host the Next Gen ATP FInals presented by PIF for a second consecutive year. The seventh edition of the event, which pits the world’s eight best 20-and-under players, will commence on Wednesday, with all competitors in action. The round-robin stage will run Wednesday through Friday, with the semi-finals on Saturday. The title match will take place at 8 p.m. local time on Sunday.
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