Ahead of the start of the 2026 tennis season, up-and-coming stars hope to gain some confidence at the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals. After an exciting day session, the night session featured a surprising upset and a breakout performance. Read on below for LWOT’s recap.
Next Gen ATP Finals Day 1 Recap
Rafael Jodar defeats Learner Tien 1-4 4-3 (3) 1-4 4-2 4-3 (4)
This result was quite unexpected. Tien, ranked just inside the Top 30, had a breakout 2025 season but could not capitalize on four match points against a rising star still (as of now) in college. Jodar recently completed a stellar season on the University of Virginia’s tennis team as a freshman and later went on a tear on the ATP Challenger Tour in the fall.
Some nervous unforced errors gave Tien the early advantage in the first set, but it was Jodar’s strong groundstrokes that helped the Spaniard clinch the second set. After Tien regained momentum, the American’s game began to spiral. Late in the fourth set, Tien hit two double faults and a costly drop shot that dumped in the net, as Jodar worked his way back into the match with a crucial break of serve. From there, the underdog, ranked World No. 168, gained confidence and controlled the court.
Jodar missed a crucial backhand midway through the final set, allowing Tien to serve for the match up 3-1. After the American started the game well, chasing down a flawless Jodar backhand and fighting through a long rally, nerves crept in. Tien missed a poor backhand in the net, and soon after, Jodar crushed a backhand down the line to set up an easy forehand winner. The American would get to match point later in that game in a pressure-filled deciding point at deuce, but an unforced error from Tien gave Jodar the break of serve he needed.
The following game then ended in sudden death. In a thrilling deciding point, Jodar hit yet another flaring backhand down the line, this time a winner that forced a deciding-set tiebreak. Earlier in that game, Jodar had to save some match points, which he easily did after some huge serves.
Tien’s consistency broke down in the tiebreak, and Jodar stepped up his offensive game to take it 7-4. Jodar had yet to take out, or even face, a Top 100 player until his Wednesday win.
Nicolai Budkov Kjær defeats Martin Landaluce 4-1 3-4 (7) 4-2 4-3 (4)
Budkov Kjær is a new name to watch on the ATP Tour, and he made sure his energy and firepower were on full display at the Next Gen ATP Finals, even in difficult moments during the match. Both players have huge forehands, and though Landaluce tried to dictate more of the court in the first set, costly unforced errors gave the Norwegian the opener.
Landaluce slowly made his way back into the match in the second set, but Budkov Kjær seemed to always have an answer. As Landaluce served for the second set, it was Budkov Kjær who quickly broke back to force a tiebreaker. The Spaniard got the early mini-break in the tiebreak, but Budkov Kjær followed up with two stunning winners: a backhand passing shot and a crushed running forehand winner that pumped the 19-year-old up. Finally, some costly errors by Budkov Kjær allowed Landaluce, the slight favorite by ranking, to win the second set.
The third set was over in a quick 22 minutes, with Budkov Kjær getting the necessary break late in the set. In the fourth set, it looked like Landaluce would regain momentum after he jumped out to a 2-0 lead, though Budkov Kjær’s firepower stood out yet again. The Norwegian played some more consistent tennis, but regularly hit deep topspin shots to put his rival under pressure. After breaking back, Budkov Kjær started to improve his serve as well; he made 76% of first serves in the set overall.
It was again Landaluce who got out to the quick start in the fourth-set tiebreak, but he’d quickly fail to capitalize on a 3-0, double mini-break lead. Landaluce won the tiebreak 7-4, finishing with an unreturned serve down the T and letting out a roar. It was sweet revenge for the Norwegian, who lost three times to Landaluce in 2025 at ATP Challenger Tour tournaments.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – Imagn Images