One point away from victory, Next Gen ATP Finals No. 1 seed Learner Tien had to scrap through the end of his second round-robin match, while Nicolai Budkov Kjær put together a second impressive performance at the tournament in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After Alexander Blocx became the first man to qualify for the semifinals on Thursday in the afternoon session, Tien and Budkov Kjær will look to join him this weekend with one more strong victory.
Next Gen ATP Finals Night 2 Recap
Learner Tien defeats Martin Landaluce 1-4 4-1 4-3 (4) 4-3 (2)
Tien, arguably the favorite to win the whole tournament, put on a much better display of tennis on Thursday. He started poorly, falling down an early break, and Landaluce’s aggressive forehand was far steadier compared to his opening match. Landaluce took the first set 4-1, sealing it with a forehand winner.
The American was at risk of losing serve in the first game of the second set, but some consistent serving helped the World No. 28 cruise to a second set victory. Tien wrapped up the third set in a tiebreaker, hitting four aces and rushing the net more frequently.
The fourth set got nervy for the American. Leading 3-1 and 40-0, Tien helplessly watched Landaluce crush multiple winners, fending off four match points yet again to extend the match. Tien infamously lost his opening match on Wednesday to Rafael Jodar after holding four match points.
But the top-seed was steady in the fourth-set match tiebreaker, jumping out to a 5-0 lead and limiting his unforced errors, something that hurt the American in big moments on Wednesday. Tien sealed the win with a backhand down the line.
Nicolai Budkov Kjær defeats Rafael Jodar 4-1 4-2 1-4 4-2
The biggest question after an underdog claims a massive upset: how will they respond? Jodar — who stunned Tien on Wednesday for his first Top 100 win — displayed his flashy groundstrokes at times, but too much inconsistency allowed Budkov Kjær to snatch his second win of the tournament. It was the Norwegian who broke serve at love in the first game, with Jodar dumping a forehand in the net. Budkov Kjær later won the first set, firing a massive forehand down the line. His forehand is one to watch in the future, from a player unafraid to control the court and take risks.
Jodar held his own in the second set and had three break points midway through the set. Unfortunately for the World No. 168, costly errors allowed Budkov Kjær to regain the lead, and Jodar’s shots could not find the court in his next service game.
Budkov Kjær was out of sorts in the third set, with some bizarre misses and a loss of confidence off his serve. The Norwegian was nearly bagelled in the third set, before a solid chase and backhand winner up the line gave him some much-needed momentum. In the next game, with Jodar leading 3-1, Budkov Kjær fired another wild forehand long to extend the match.
Budkov Kjær’s serve was what stepped up late in the contest. Neither player could break serve until more unforced errors off Jodar’s racket opened up a prime opportunity for the Norwegian. He eventually sealed the match with an ace and only lost one point off his first serve in the fourth set.
Tien will face Budkov Kjær on Friday, while Jodar will have to rebound against Landaluce on the same day. Friday is the final day of round-robin action.