Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca will face American Lerner Tien at the Next Generation ATP Finals on Sunday. Fonseca, 18, hopes to follow the role model of world number one Jannik Sinner, who won the tournament in 2019.
The Jeddah event will offer $2.05 million in prize money to players aged 20 and under. If Fonseca wins, he will become the second-youngest champion after Sinner. Fonseca served as Sinner’s hitting partner at last year’s ATP Finals. He credits the Italian with encouraging his transition to professional tennis.
“It would be great to recreate Sinner,” Fonseca said. “It shows I’m on the right track and it’s going to be special.”
Fonseca could earn $526,480 as the undefeated champion. He expressed confidence in his performance this week.
“I’m playing at a high level. I’m proud of myself and the focus I’ve put into my routine this week,” he said. “It’s really great to have my family here and my three coaches here and I hope we can go for the title.”
Thien, 19, has improved his ranking significantly this season, rising from outside the top 450 to 122nd. This final will be the second meeting between both players.
“I’m happy with the current state of my game,” Tien said. “The crowds have been great all week and it’s always great to play in an environment like this.”
This is the second year that the hard court tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia. The event, previously held in Milan, aims to showcase up-and-coming tennis stars. Past winners include Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who are currently enjoying success as senior players. This tournament features an innovative format with a best-of-five set win of four matches each.
