Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca defeated American Learner 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 the 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 matches in the tournament, which began with an upset of top-seeded Arthur Fils on the first day of the round robin.
Italian Yannick Siner, who won the ATP Finals this year, was the only player younger than Fonseca to win a season-ending event.
“I was really nervous before the match. I knew it was going to be so difficult,” Fonseca said.
“I played in the 2023 US Open junior final against Larer and I know how he can play. He’s such a good guy and a great player, so I knew it was going to be tough mentally and physically. But I passed.”
Fonseca hit eight aces without a double fault and dominated on her first serve, while Thien had a winner’s lead but committed another 10 unforced errors.
Established in 2017, the tournament features the top eight players aged 20 and over on that year’s tour.
Before the final, Fonseca spoke of wanting to be like Sinner, for whom he was a hitting partner at last year’s ATP Finals.
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