Tien embraces the semi-finals in Jeddah | ATP Tour

Next Gen ATP Finals

Tien embraces the semi-finals in Jeddah

On Friday he will face Michelsen for a place in the final

December 20, 2024

Learner Tien’s debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF is increasingly surprising. The American was the fifth player to qualify for the tournament, and one of the least experienced at the tour level. The latter, however, has not been an impediment for them to overcome the group stage.

This Friday he sealed his advance to the semifinals in Jeddah by beating none other than Arthur Fils, best seeded this week, No. 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings, 4-2, 4-2, 3-4(4), 4-3(5). and finalist of this same event in 2023. This result also constitutes the best victory in Tien’s career according to the ranking.

Learner Tien continues to surprise 👏

The 🇺🇸 achieves its best ranking victory against Fils and a place in SF in Jeddah ✅@TennisTV | @nextgenfinals pic.twitter.com/WMogrBk8mD

— ATP Tour en Español (@ATPTour_ES) December 20, 2024

Two days after beating No. 48 Jakub Mensik, the 19-year-old left-hander took it upon himself to beat and eliminate one of the best players of the season on the ATP Tour. In addition to winning 37 matches at the tour level, the Frenchman became champion of two titles in 2024, both at the ATP 500 level (Hamburg and Tokyo).

For that reason, and not just because he is the one with the best ranking, Fils arrived as the top favorite for the title this week in Jeddah. But he could not revalidate his condition after losing in the group stage against the Brazilian Joao Fonseca and now against Tien, who have been left with the two places in the semifinals in the blue group.

“I think I played very well today,” Tien said in his on-court interview. “It was great to recover and play a good game after taking a hit against Joao [Fonseca] yesterday. It’s great to come here and play good tennis. “I think I maintained my level pretty well from the beginning to the end.”

Now he will look to take another step when he faces his compatriot Alex Michelsen, leader of the Red Group, on Saturday. Tien’s season couldn’t be ending in a better way: after winning three titles on the ATP Challenger Tour, the world No. 122 is now going all out in the final stretch in Jeddah.

“I try to approach every game as if it were an independent game,” Tien said when asked about his mindset during his breakthrough year. “I don’t try to think about the games I’ve won or lost. Obviously, I take the confidence of those I have won and I have a short-term memory for defeats. I just approach each game as if it were an independent game and I don’t pay too much attention to my record.”

Joao Fonseca finishes the group stage undefeated
Later in the last duel of the day, the Brazilian closed his participation in the Blue Group with a 3-0 record, after beating the Czech Jakub Mensik with partials of 3-4(4), 4-3(8), 4 -3(5), 3-4(4) 4-3(5).

Although upon entering the court he knew he was in first place in the group, Fonseca pushed himself to the maximum and ended up winning in two hours and 11 minutes of play, and after saving four of five break points, and breaking in just one chance.

The 18-year-old Brazilian could not have had a better ending to this stage, who had already defeated Tien and Fils in recent days, against whom he signed the best victory of his career according to the ranking.

Despite being the last to qualify for this event, Fonseca has had the most incredible performance of the week in the group stage, and seems ready to continue advancing. On Saturday he will face Frenchman Luca Van Assche, second in the Red Group, for the first time.