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Match Details
Fixture: (8) Joao Fonseca vs (5) Learner Tien
Date: December 22, 2024
Tournament: Next Gen ATP Finals
Round: Final
Venue: King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Category: Year-end championships
Surface: Hard (Indoor)
Prize Money: $2,050,000
Live Telecast: US - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN5
Joao Fonseca vs Learner Tien preview
Eighth seed Joao Fonseca will face fifth seed Learner Tien in the final of the Next Gen ATP Finals on Sunday, December 22. It will be a rematch of their round-robin fixture, which the Brazilian won in four sets.
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Fonseca started his campaign in Jeddah with a hard-fought 3-4(9), 4-2, 4-1, 1-4,4-1 win over top seed and World No. 20 Arthur Fils. The 18-year-old followed this up with a 4-0, 4-0, 1-4, 4-2 win over Learner Tien before edging out third seed Jakub Mensik 3-4(4), 4-3(8), 4-3(5), 3-4(4), 4-3(5) to top his group .
The Brazilian then faced Luca van Assche in the semifinals and registered his first straight-set win of the Next Gen ATP Finals, triumphing 4-2, 4-2, 4-1 to book his place in the final.
Learner Tien, meanwhile, started his run in Jeddah with a 4-3(6), 4-3(3), 2-4, 2-4, 4-3(8) victory over Jakub Mensik before losing to Fonseca. The American then faced Arthur Fils in a virtual quarterfinal and beat him 4-2, 4-2, 3-4(4), 4-3(5) to book his place in the semifinals of the Next Gen ATP Finals.
Here, the 19-year-old faced compatriot Alex Michelsen, who had won all of his group fixtures. Tien put in a fine performance to beat Michelsen 2-4, 4-2, 1-4, 4-0, 4-1 and reach the final of the competition in Jeddah.
Joao Fonseca vs Learner Tien head-to-head
The group fixture between the two at the Next Gen ATP Finals, which was won by Fonseca, is the only prior encounter between the two.
Joao Fonseca vs Learner Tien odds
Odds sourced from BETMGM (Remaining odds will be updated when available)
Joao Fonseca vs Learner Tien prediction
Tien might be ranked marginally higher than Fonseca but the latter beat him just a few days back, not to forget he has won all of his matches in the tournament so far. Hence, the Brazilian has the edge entering the fixture. That said, Tien has produced some good tennis in Jeddah and should not be written off.
Fonseca has had decent numbers on his first serve during the Next Gen ATP Finals so far, winning 149 out of 194 points (76.8%) on it. He has also produced 27 aces while hitting 94 winners compared to 86 unforced errors.
Tien's first-serve numbers have not been as good as Fonseca's so far in Jeddah, as he has won 153 out of 213 points (71.8%). While his ace count is lesser than that of the Brazilian, it's still decent at 16. The 18-year-old, however, has produced 67 winners while hitting 95 unforced errors. He cannot afford to have too many of the latter, not against an in-form Fonseca.
Both players love to play aggressively and will no doubt try to gain an upper hand from the start. However, given Fonseca's recent form, there is a fair chance of him coming out on top.
Pick: Fonseca to win in four sets.
