Tennis News

Basavareddy grabs first win at 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals

American Nishesh Basavareddy claimed the opening win of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF after surviving a rollercoaster four-set clash with Dino Prizmic in Jeddah Wednesday.

Playing his first match with new coach Gilles Cervara in his box, the 20-year-old claimed his first tour-level win since Hangzhou in mid September.

After saving three set points in the second set, sixth-seed Basavareddy failed to serve out the match late in the third set, when he dropped serve for the only time in the match. But he claimed an immediate break in the fourth as he pulled away to win 4-2, 4-3(7), 3-4(3),4-2.

“I feel great,” Basavareddy said. “Getting the first win in a round-robin is huge and trying to win in as few sets as possible is good, so I am pleased to get it done in four. I think having the experience is good to have in the bag, but it has been a year since we played this format, so there is still so adjustments to do. Each set is quick, one break like that last set. One break changes momentum completely.”

On his new partnership with Cervara, Basavareddy said, “We have done a lot of work physically, and I have started working with a new physical coach, whom Gilles has known for quite a while. I have also put in a lot of work on my serve. It is confidence-boosting knowing he has been through the cycle of taking a young gun to World No. 1 and a Grand Slam with Daniil. But every player is different.”

Notching his eighth tour-level victory of the season, the World No. 167 is grouped with Prizmic and second seed Belgian Alexander Blockx and German Justin Engel.

Second seed Blockx began his Jeddah debut in winning fashion, earning a 3-4(7), 4-2, 4-2, 4-2 victory against 18-year-old Engel, the youngest player in the eight-man field.

Engel opened with an aggressive mindset, ripping his forehand without hesitation. The German saved a set point in the opening set with a deciding-point ace, but Blockx regrouped and found increased firepower of his own to rally to the finish line. The Belgian struck 17 aces across the match and dictated play from the baseline behind his hefty serve.

“I think we both started really well with our serves, we didn’t really have many exchanges in the rally,” said Blockx, who won 85 per cent of his first-serve points, compared to Engel’s 59 per cent.

“I had some chances in the first set, so did he, and he took advantage of it. But I knew that I wasn’t playing my best level yet. I had to get some rhythm and I felt like once I got the break in the second set, I really started playing better and my level kept rising.”

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Alcaraz announces shock split with coach Ferrero

Six-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz splits with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero in a shock move.

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Grand Slam kids, big-time dreams: Blockx, Landaluce & co step up in Jeddah

If junior Grand Slam titles were entry tickets, the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF would have a very selective door policy.

Five of the six debutants in this year’s field arrive in Jeddah as former boys’ major champions, a contrast to the two returners, Americans Learner Tien and Nishesh Basavareddy, who are proving there’s more than one route to the top.

Different paths, same destination, and a lineup that underscores just how deep — and stacked — the next wave of men’s tennis is. For 6’4” Belgian Alexander Blockx, that journey began in Melbourne, where he won the 2023 Australian Open boys’ title.

“It gave me a lot of confidence on the court that showed me that I can really keep up with the guys and play in those big moments,” Blockx told ATPTour.com, reflecting on his title run in Melbourne. “It definitely helped me in my career, and now I feel like every year I am progressing little by little. I hope it keeps going that way.”

_{^{Alexander Blockx wins the 2023 Australian Open boys’ title. Photo: Manan Vatsyayana/AFP via Getty Images.}}

Two players Blockx defeated en route to the title — last year’s Jeddah finalists Joao Fonseca and Tien — have since risen inside the world’s Top 30 in 2025, reinforcing the sense that his own breakthrough is arriving fast.

The future, however, isn’t just knocking, it already has silverware. For Martin Landaluce, the pressure arrived early. The Spaniard won the 2022 US Open boys’ title at just 16, instantly putting a spotlight on his career before it had truly begun.

“It was a great moment. I think I’m glad to have lived this because I have had to manage pressure since I was 16 years old,” Landaluce said. “It was tough at that moment, but now I’m feeling much more confident, and it’s not the first time I’m having people watching me and people saying that I’m going to be near the top…

“It’s nice to have been preparing myself for this kind of pressure, and now I’m able to live it in a good way.”

_{^{Martin Landaluce takes a selfie with the Jeddah field on Media Day. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour.}}

Now 19, calmer and armed with the tools he’s developed at the Rafa Nadal Academy — including a heavy focus on breathing and mental work — Landaluce feels far better equipped for the attention that follows him. This week in Jeddah, he is sharing that attention with countryman and close friend Rafael Jodar, who etched his name into the same US Open trophy two years later in 2024.

Jodar has backed that title up with a rapid rise, surging more than 700 spots in the PIF ATP Rankings to World No. 168 in 2025 and winning three ATP Challenger Tour titles in the final three months of the season to secure his Next Gen spot. Yet he’s careful not to blur the lines between junior success and professional progress.

“I could say that it was probably one of the best weeks, but I couldn’t say that it’s why I’ve done these things this year,” Jodar said of his US Open run last year. “I think they are two worlds. When you play in juniors, you have to face the best juniors, but when you play on the Challenger Tour, you play against other players that are older than you and who have more experience.”

That jump has proven both a reality check and a learning curve, but one that Jodar has handled smoothly. The only player in Jeddah with more Challenger titles in 2025, however, is Nicolai Budkov Kjaer.

_{^{The 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF field. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour.}} 

The 19-year-old Norwegian won the 2024 Wimbledon boys’ singles title and then followed it with a career-best 2025 season, claiming a Tour-leading four Challenger trophies to earn his spot at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF for the first time.

“Winning a junior title is a big milestone as a player,” Budkov Kjaer said when asked about his run at the All England Club. “It’s a week I will remember forever, and it’s nice to have it in the baggage of trophies.”

Still, he knows trophies alone don’t guarantee anything on Tour: “I think all the juniors play quite grown-up tennis right now. I think it’s a higher level than ever, but you need to adjust your acceptance… To accept that everybody can play very good tennis and that you can beat and get beaten by everybody.”

Dino Prizmic rounded out his own junior career exactly how he wanted, winning the 2023 Roland Garros boys’ title before stepping full-time into the professional ranks.

“It was a big moment for me because I wanted to finish juniors with one title, especially a Grand Slam title, and I did it, so I’m very proud of that,” Prizmic said.

What followed was a fast introduction to the realities of the ATP Tour, including taking a set from Novak Djokovic at the 2024 Australian Open and battling some injuries along the way. In 2025, the Croatian surged again, claiming two ATP Challenger Tour titles and reaching his maiden tour-level quarter-final in Umag to secure his place in Jeddah.

Five junior Grand Slam champions, five distinct journeys, but none of them identical to the routes taken by Tien or Basavareddy. In Jeddah, the message is clear: Junior titles can open doors, but it’s what comes after that earns you a seat at the table.

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Who could challenge Sinner and Alcaraz in 2026?

After Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner swept the Grand Slams again, BBC Sport analyses who might stop them in 2026 – and you can have your say.

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Challenger Tested: The road to Jeddah for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF field

Fans eager to stay ahead of the curve and identify the next wave of #NextGenATP talents should keep a close eye on ATP Challenger results. The eight players competing at this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF have all tasted ATP Challenger success to get where they are today.

ATPTour.com highlights each Jeddah competitor and the Challenger milestones they’ve achieved in their young careers.

Nicolai Budkov Kjaer
Of the six players who shared a season-leading four titles, the Norwegian was the youngest to achieve that feat. The 19-year-old won his maiden Challenger title in Glasgow in February and returned to the winner’s circle in July with back-to-back triumphs in Tampere and Astana, becoming the youngest Norwegian to claim multiple Challenger titles. The 2024 Wimbledon boys’ singles champion won the Mouilleron le Captif Challenger in October for his fourth triumph of the year.

After winning his first Challenger title in February, Budkov Kjaer said: “In a way, yes, [I am surprised] that it came. Because everybody at Challengers is so ridiculously good. But in a way, no, because I’ve always had the belief that I’m a good player. You always want to believe you have the level to beat the guys at the top and I always had the belief that I’m a very dangerous opponent.”

Justin Engel
The German became the youngest Challenger champion of 2025 with a memorable victory on home soil. Facing fellow 18-year-old Federico Cina in the Hamburg final, it marked the youngest Challenger championship match at that level since 2003, when Mario Ancic beat Rafael Nadal, coincidentally, also in Hamburg. At 18 years and 25 days, Engel became the fifth-youngest German winner in Challenger history and the first player born in 2007 to win a title at that level.

“Every title is a big one, especially my first Challenger,” Engel said after winning in Hamburg. “This win makes it even better and I’m really happy.”

Rafael Jodar
Nearly a year removed from his US Open junior triumph, where he edged Budkov Kjaer in a 10-point tie-break at 6-6 in the third set, the teenager captured his maiden ATP Challenger crown in Hersonissos, Greece in September. Jodar entered the week as World No. 540 in the PIF ATP Rankings and was in the main draw as an alternate, yet in just his ninth Challenger appearance, he went all the way. Jodar did not stop there.

Jodar won the Lincoln and Charlottesville Challengers across a three-week span in October, the latter taking place at the University of Virginia, where the 19-year-old is a sophomore. The Madrid native earned ITA All-American honours during his first season at the University of Virginia and qualified for the ATP Next Gen Accelerator, a programme that aims to increase the development pathway for top players in the American collegiate system to earn direct entry into select Challenger events.

Dino Prizmic
Prizmic is proudly waving the flag as Croatia’s next promising talent. Having started his tennis journey at Tenis Klub Split, the same club that produced Goran Ivanisevic and Mario Ancic, Prizmic is aiming to follow in their lofty footsteps. With his triumph at the Bratislava Challenger in June, Prizmic, then 19 years old, became the second Croatian — alongside Ancic — to win three Challenger titles as a teenager.

The #NextGenATP star finished the Challenger season with a 27-9 season record, highlighted by two title runs and three additional final appearances. “It’s a good feeling, but I think it’s something that in the beginning it’s what I have to pass to be a good player,” Prizmic said in July. “It’s a good start to try and become a top player and also to try to play against very good players.”

Martin Landaluce
The Spaniard made a late-season surge to boost his Jeddah chances. Landaluce won the Orleans Challenger in September, claiming 125 PIF ATP Ranking points and later building on that with a semi-final run in Olbia, where last year he won the title.

When Landaluce won Olbia last season, he became the fifth Spaniard since 2000 to win a Challenger title at age 18 or younger. Jodar has since added his name to that list. The first four players all ascended to the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings: Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Tommy Robredo and Nicolas Almagro.

A champ and his trophy 🏆 #ATPChallenger | @RFETenis pic.twitter.com/D5WSmhZ1sf

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 28, 2025

Alexander Blockx
The Belgian bookended his ATP Challenger season with titles, winning his first event of the year (Oeiras) and triumphing again in his final Challenger outing (Bratislava). The same week that Jodar won in Charlottesville, Blockx won the Slovak Open. Now, the 20-year-old will look to close out the year by building on that triumph and claim his biggest career title in Jeddah, where he is seeded second.

When Blockx won the hard-court Oeiras Challenger, he became the youngest Belgian to earn multiple trophies at that level.

Nishesh Basavareddy
Back in Jeddah for a second consecutive year, Basavareddy competed in just seven Challenger tournaments this year, including three quarter-final appearances. He had more than paid his Challenger dues in the 2024 season, during which he reached six finals (two titles) and posted a 41-13 match record.

The American transitioned to the ATP Tour and scored his best result at the ATP 250 in Auckland, where he reached the semi-finals.

Learner Tien
When Tien competed in Jeddah last year, he was No. 122 in the PIF ATP Rankings, a stark contrast from where he is today as World No. 28. Now seeking to go one step further than last year’s runner-up finish to Joao Fonseca, the lefty mostly competed on the ATP Tour this season, with just one Challenger appearance.

But Tien’s success on the ATP Challenger circuit served as a springboard for him to compete on the sport’s biggest stages. Last season, Tien boasted a 35-9 Challenger-match record, including three title runs.

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Tien, Fonseca among talents who rose from Challengers to Slam breakthroughs in 2025

One exciting part of every season is discovering which emerging talents step into the spotlight on the sport’s biggest stages. ATP Challenger events have long been a launching pad for such emerging talents before they rise to stardom, and in 2025, several competitors translated their Challenger success into breakthroughs at the season’s four majors. ATPTour.com highlights five players who embodied that rise.

Learner Tien
After a standout Challenger campaign in 2024, when the American posted a 35-9 record at that level with three titles, Tien quickly transitioned to the highest level of pro tennis. He made a splash at the Australian Open where as a qualifier ranked No. 121 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Tien reached the fourth round. One of his Melbourne highlights came in the second-round when he stunned three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller.

Tien, then 19 years old, became the youngest player to reach the fourth round in Melbourne since Rafael Nadal in 2005. He also became the second-youngest American man to advance to the last 16 at the season’s first major, behind Pete Sampras, who reached the same stage aged 18.

“This exceeded my expectations from what I was hoping for coming into this week,” Tien said in Melbourne. “You go into every match believing you can win but being in the second week is amazing.

Joao Fonseca
Fonseca has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the Top 25 of the PIF ATP Rankings. His first tournament of the 2025 season was the Canberra Challenger, an event that he dominated by not dropping a set en route to the title. He became the second player, alongside Jannik Sinner, to win his ensuing event following a triumph at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

The Brazilian, who also won the Challenger 175 event in Phoenix in March, reached at least the second round of all four majors this year. His best Slam run was a third-round appearance at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. In Melbourne, Fonseca shocked ninth seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets, which marked the teenager’s first major main-draw win. After beginning this past season at No. 145 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Fonseca enters 2026 as World No. 24.

August Holmgren
It was a July to remember for the Dane, whose Grand Slam breakthrough intriguingly came before his ATP Challenger success this season. In the first half of the year, Holmgren tallied a 3-10 Challenger-match record, but he flipped his season on its head with a Cinderella-esque third-round run at Wimbledon.

Holmgren, then No. 192 in the PIF ATP Rankings, saved three match points in his third-round qualifying clash against Yosuke Watanuki and again saved three match points en route to upsetting 21st seed Tomas Machac in the second round of main draw. Two weeks after Wimbledon, Holmgren lifted the trophy at the hard-court Granby Challenger.

“The key was to keep my momentum from Wimbledon going,” Holmgren said. “I had a very strong concept of who I wanted to be as a tennis player and the challenge was to continue with that on another surface.”

<img alt=”August Holmgren” style=”width:100%” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/07/03/18/38/holmgren-wimbledon-2025-thursday.jpg” />
^{August Holmgren celebrates his upset victory over Tomas Machac at Wimbledon. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images}

Coleman Wong
The 21-year-old made history at the US Open, where he became the first ever player from Hong Kong to win a major main-draw match. Then World No. 173 and a qualifier in New York, Wong lived out a dream by reaching the third round. Wong, who is still seeking his first Challenger crown, forced 15th seed Andrey Rublev into a deciding set before bowing out of his first major main-draw appearance, one that he will forever remember.

“It’s a big moment for me, and also for my family and for Hong Kong people,” Wong said in a feature published on usopen.org and ATPTour.com.

Jacob Fearnley
The Briton made the third round at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros — hardly a surprise for those who followed Fearnley’s ATP Challenger results in 2024. Last season, Fearnley held a 27-3 season record on the Challenger circuit, including four titles. He became just the third player to finish a season with a win percentage of 90 per cent or greater (min. 25 matches played).

Fearnley ousted some big names en route to his third-round runs in Melbourne and Paris. In Australia, Fearnley downed home favourite Nick Kyrgios in the opening round — the same round in which the Briton defeated 2015 Roland Garros champion Stan Wawrinka in Paris. Then, Fearnley spoiled the French hopes of Ugo Humbert in the second round of the clay-court major.

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Tien returns, Jodar debuts as Day 1 in Jeddah begins

It is time to see which young star solidifies their place among the elite list of champions at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, where Day 1 of round-robin action begins Wednesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

All eight competitors will play on opening day, including last year’s finalist Learner Tien, who faces Spaniard Rafael Jodar in an evening showdown. Tien headlines Blue Group while the top seed in Red Group Alexander Blockx begins his campaign against 18-year-old German Justin Engel.

[1] Learner Tien (USA) vs [7] Rafael Jodar (ESP) [not before 7 p.m.]
Tien competed last year in Jeddah as No. 122 in the PIF ATP Rankings, and after a breakthrough season, the 20-year-old arrives for his return trip as a Top 30 player. In his final ATP Tour event of the 2025 season, Tien was crowned champion in Metz, his first tour-level trophy.

The intrigue lies in the clash of styles between the lefty Tien and Jodar. While the American’s game is built on crafty court coverage and brickwall consistency, Jodar, the 19-year-old debutant, will look to take the initiative and dictate from the baseline.

Last season, Jodar was a sparring partner at this very event and now he is one of the eight competitors at the 20-and-under event. Jodar enjoyed a standout ATP Challenger season, during which he became the third Spanish teenager to win at least three titles at that level, joining World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and former No. 9 Nicolas Almagro. The Madrid native triumphed in Hersonissos, Lincoln and Charlottesville at the University of Virginia, where he is a sophomore.

<img alt=”Learner Tien at the Silver Sands Beach ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/15/30/next-gen-atp-finals-2025-media-day-tien.jpg?w=100%25″ />
^{Learner Tien at the Silver Sands Beach ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals. Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}

[4] Martin Landaluce (ESP) vs [5] Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (NOR) [Following Tien-Jodar]
For the first time in the eight-year history of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, there are two Spaniards in the field. Alongside Jodar in Blue Group is his close friend Landaluce, both of whom grew up training at Club de Tenis Chamartin in Madrid.

Landaluce and Budkov Kjaer met three times on the ATP Challenger circuit this year, with the Spaniard victorious on each occasion. Budkov Kjaer, 19, was one of six players to win four ATP Challenger titles this season.

[3] Dino Prizmic (CRO) vs [6] Nishesh Basavareddy (USA) [2 p.m.]
Prizmic and Basavareddy will kickstart this year’s edition with their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. Basavareddy, who recently welcomed coach Gilles Cervara to his team, is competing in Jeddah for the second consecutive year.

Among Prizmic’s season highlights was a second tour-level quarter-final appearance on home soil in Umag, where he also reached the last eight in 2023. The Croatian won two ATP Challenger titles this year and reached three additional finals.

<img alt=”Dino Prizmic ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/16/06/prizmic-next-gen-atp-finals-2025-media-day.jpg” />
^{Dino Prizmic in Jeddah. Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}

[2] Alexander Blockx (BEL) vs [8] Justin Engel (GER) [not before 3 p.m.]
The 18-year-old Engel is the youngest competitor in the field, which historically has been a promising sign. Jannik Sinner (2019), Carlos Alcaraz (2021), and Joao Fonseca (2024) all lifted the trophy as the youngest participants in their respective draws.

Engel was the youngest ATP Challenger champion of 2025 with his triumph in Hamburg. He also reached the Stuttgart ATP 250 quarter-finals as a wild card, then ranked No. 281 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Blockx, who won two ATP Challenger titles this year, secured his maiden tour-level match win at the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. He then added to that count in Metz, where he was competing in the main draw via the Next Gen Accelerator pathway.

ORDER OF PLAY – WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2025
CENTRE COURT start 2:00 pm
[3] Dino Prizmic (CRO) vs [6] Nishesh Basavareddy (USA)

Not Before 3:00 pm
[2] Alexander Blockx (BEL) vs [8] Justin Engel (GER)

Not Before 7:00 pm
[1] Learner Tien (USA) vs [7] Rafael Jodar (ESP)
[4] Martin Landaluce (ESP) vs [5] Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (NOR)

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View photos from Jeddah media day

The eight players in Jeddah for the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF are enjoying off-court festivities ahead of the tournament. Among the media day events, they posed for the official group photo and enjoyed water activities, including jet skiing.

Justin Engel, Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, Dino Prizmic, Martin Landaluce, Learner Tien, Alexander Blockx, Rafael Jodar and Nishesh Basavareddy comprise the 20-and-under field. Group play begins Wednesday, with the final on Sunday.

View photos from the off-court activities in Jeddah. All photo credits belong to Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour.

<img alt=”Learner Tien at the Silver Sands Beach ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/15/30/next-gen-atp-finals-2025-media-day-tien.jpg?w=100%25″ />
^{Learner Tien.}

<img alt=”Nishesh Basavareddy ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/15/50/basavareddy-next-gen-atp-finals-2025-media-day.jpg” />
^{Nishesh Basavareddy.}

<img alt=”Alexander Blockx ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/16/02/blockx-next-gen-atp-finals-2025-media-day.jpg” />
^{Alexander Blockx.}

<img alt=”Dino Prizmic ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/16/06/prizmic-next-gen-atp-finals-2025-media-day.jpg” />
^{Dino Prizmic.}

<img alt=”Justin Engel ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/16/09/engel-next-gen-atp-finals-2025-media-day.jpg” />
^{Justin Engel.}

<img alt=”Martin Landaluce ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/16/13/landaluce-next-gen-atp-finals-2025-media-day.jpg” />^{Martin Landaluce.}

<img alt=”Rafael Jodar ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/16/17/jodar-next-gen-atp-finals-2025-media-day.jpg” />^{Rafael Jodar.}

<img alt=”Nicolai Budkov Kjaer ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/16/28/budkov-kjaer-next-gen-atp-finals-2025-media-day.jpg” />^{Nicolai Budkov Kjaer.}

<img alt=”Justin Engel enjoys jet ski ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in Jeddah.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/16/34/engel-next-gen-atp-finals-2025-media-day-2.jpg” />^{Justin Engel.}

<img alt=”Nicolai Budkov Kjaer.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/16/40/budkov-kjaer-next-gen-atp-finals-2025-media-day-3.jpg” />^{Nicolai Budkov Kjaer.}

<img alt=”Justin Engel in Jeddah ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/16/45/engel-jeddah-2025-media-day.jpg” />^{Justin Engel.}

<img alt=”Nishesh Basavareddy on a jet ski ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. ” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/16/53/basavareddy-jeddah-2025-media-day.jpg” />^{Nishesh Basavareddy.}

<img alt=”Dino Prizmic in Jeddah ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/16/59/prizmic-jeddah-2025-media-day.jpg” />^{Dino Prizmic.}

<img alt=”Martin Landaluce in Jeddah ahead of the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/16/17/02/landaluce-jeddah-2025-media-day.jpg” />^{Martin Landaluce.}

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Alcaraz's daring comeback vs. Fils in Monte-Carlo voted ATP Tour's Match of the Year

A furious blur of shotmaking and nerve, Carlos Alcaraz’s quarter-final victory over Arthur Fils at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters has been voted by fans as the ATP Tour’s Match of the Year for 2025.

The two young stars produced a blistering spectacle in their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, one that felt like the birth of a long-term rivalry. Fils unloaded explosive, heavy groundstrokes from the baseline to grab the opening set before Alcaraz mounted the kind of miraculous escape that would become a theme of his title run, prevailing 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 after two hours, 23 minutes.

In the fan vote, the Alcaraz-Fils thriller fended off strong competition, including Jannik Sinner’s marquee championship-match triumph in Vienna over Alexander Zverev and a gruelling, three-hour Athens final between Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti.

It was, however, Alcaraz’s mix of quality, courage and chaos in Monte-Carlo that made his triumph the match that supporters deemed the year’s unforgettable standout.

Watch Alcaraz vs. Fils Highlights:

Saving three break points at 5-5, 0/40 in the second set and later overturning a 1-3 deficit in the third, Alcaraz repeatedly absorbed Fils’ pace and power before counterpunching with trademark flair. The Spaniard’s nerve under pressure not only cracked Fils’ resistance but also marked one of three victories from a set down on his way to a maiden triumph in the Principality.

“I think his level is high right now and he puts a lot of pressure on his opponents,” Alcaraz said of Fils. “Today I could feel it but in some moments he just made a few mistakes. I tried to make the most of those points and wait for my chances.”

It marked one of eight tour-level trophies across the season for Alcaraz, who also clinched Roland Garros and US Open crowns en route to reclaiming ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours for the first time since 2022. The Spaniard also produced a clay-court thriller in the Roland Garros final, delivering an epic comeback to stun rival Sinner for the crown. That match topped the list of Best Grand Slam matches from 2025. 

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Federer returns to Australian Open, to play exhibition during Opening Ceremony

Roger Federer will return to the Australian Open in January, taking the court in an exhibition match featuring three other ATP No. 1 Club members: Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt.

The season’s first major will launch a new tradition of having an Opening Ceremony the night before main-draw action begins. The Opening Ceremony will take place on Saturday, January 17 at Rod Laver Arena.

“It feels like a lifetime ago that I coined the phrase the ‘Happy Slam’ for the Australian Open, and it still makes me smile when I think about all the moments I’ve had here,” said Federer, a six-time Australian Open champion, in a press release.

“I’ve experienced so many emotions on Rod Laver Arena… The joy of lifting ‘Norman’ [the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup] six times, the honour of playing in front of Rod Laver himself, the challenge of competing against my biggest rivals, and always the overwhelming love and support of the Australian fans.

“Coming back to win the AO in 2017 is one of my most treasured Grand Slam memories and backing it up to win in 2018 was another dream come true in Melbourne. I can’t wait to come down under again to the AO and create more fantastic moments with all the Aussie fans.”

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Tournament director Craig Tiley added: “I’m thrilled we’re introducing this very special AO Opening Ceremony. While the AO has a reputation for innovation and is renowned for pushing the boundaries, we are also the custodians of a proud 120-year history filled with some of the sport’s greatest champions.

“This inaugural Opening Ceremony will mark the start of a new tennis season in spectacular fashion. I can’t wait to see Roger back on Rod Laver Arena, along with other greats of the game, Andre, Pat and Lleyton. And I know fans across Australia will be just as excited to share this moment with him.”

The 2026 Australian Open runs from 18 January-1 February. Italian Jannik Sinner is the two-time defending champion while Carlos Alcaraz, World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, will be seeking his maiden Melbourne title in pursuit of completing the Career Grand Slam.

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