Scouting Report: Arthur Fils, Alex Michelsen y Jakub Mensik leader of the plant in Jeddah | ATP Tour

Scouting Report

Scouting Report: Fils, Michelsen y Mensik lideran el plantel en Jeddah

A detailed summary of all the week’s action

December 17, 2024

To put the finishing touch to an exciting ATP Tour season, the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF will put the spotlight on eight great Under-21 stars starting this Wednesday in Jeddah.

Top seeds Arthur Fils and Alex Michelsen return for the second year in a row, with the Frenchman looking to improve on his 2023 runner-up status. Jakub Mensik, recently awarded ATP Breakthrough of the Year, Shang Juncheng, Learner Tien, Nishesh Basavareddy and Joao Fonseca face his debut in the tournament, while the sixth seed Luca van Assche returns to Jeddah for the second edition in a row after reaching the semifinals in 2023.

Before this innovative tournament, ATPTour.com points out five details to follow.

1) Fils points to the title: The Frenchman’s immense season, capped by two ATP 500 trophies in Hamburg and Tokyo, has earned him top seed status in Jeddah for the second year in a row. After losing the 2023 final to Hamad Medjedovic, the No. 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings will look to take another step and make his way to the cup. Will he get it?

2) Michelsen leads an American trio: The second seed returns to Jeddah for the second consecutive year after adding two ATP Tour finals in 2024. The Californian will be accompanied by his compatriots Tien and Basavareddy, well known for more than 10 years. Michelsen will debut against Basavareddy on Wednesday, after sharing two ATP Challenger duels in 2023.

3) A magnificent Blue Group: Fils will share a demanding Blue Group with Mensik, world No. 48; Tien, three-time ATP Challenger Tour champion in 2024; and Fonseca, the youngest player in the Top 150. Fils will have to be alert in his debut against the Brazilian, who already defeated him 6-0, 6-4 en route to the quarterfinals in Rio de Janeiro this year in the only match Lexus ATP Head2Head previous between the two.

4) Shang carries the Chinese flag: The fourth Asian seed has had a historic season on the ATP Tour, becoming the first Chinese to win a trophy in his country in Chengdu. Shang has broken into the world Top 50 and has become the first Chinese able to compete in the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

5) Jeddah as host for the second year: King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) will host the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF for the second consecutive year. The seventh edition of the tournament, which brings together the eight best players under 21 years of age, will begin this Wednesday with all the tennis players in action. The group stage will take place from Wednesday to Friday, with the semi-finals scheduled for Saturday. The final will be played at 8 pm local time on Sunday.