ATP Next Gen Finals: Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca beats American student Tien to claim title | Tennis news

Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca beat American apprentice Tien to become the second-youngest player to win the ATP Next Gen Finals title in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

The 18-year-old dropped his first set before fighting back and then dominated the rest of the match to beat Tien 2-4 4-3 (8) 4-0 4-2 in Jeddah.

Fonseca won all five of his tournament matches, starting with an upset of top seed Arthur Fils on the first day of round robin action.

Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who won the ATP Finals this year, was the only player younger than Fonseca to win the season-ending tournament.

“I was very nervous before the game. I knew it would be very difficult,” said Fonseca.

“I played a final against Learner as a junior at the 2023 US Open and I know how he can play. He’s a really nice guy and a great player, so I knew it would be tough, mentally and physically. But I outplayed him.”

Fonseca hit eight aces without a double fault and dominated on her first serve, while Tien had the edge on winners but committed 10 more unforced errors.

The tournament, which was founded in 2017, features the top eight players aged 20 and under on tour in a given year.

Before the final, Fonseca spoke of wanting to emulate Sinner, who he was a batting partner with at last year’s ATP Finals.

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