The Next Gen ATP Finals is underway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with eight young stars looking to announce themselves to the tennis world.
In a shocking upset, the first seed and heavy favourite Learner Tien lost his first match at the tournament.
Tien, who clinched his first ATP title in Metz this year, was beaten by Spanish seventh seed Rafael Jodar in five sets.
Meanwhile, Nishesh Basavareddy’s new appointment of Gilles Cervara, Daniil Medvedev‘s former coach, has resulted in a win and a loss so far at the Next Gen ATP Finals.
There is one player in Jeddah that Novak Djokovic once had incredibly high praise for, who has just kept his semifinal hopes alive at the competition.
Dino Prizmic picks up his first win at the Next Gen ATP Finals
Dino Prizmic, a talented 20-year-old, earned his first victory at the Next Gen ATP Finals by defeating 18-year-old Justin Engel in four sets.
The Croatian had lost his first bout at the event to Basavareddy, but now has the chance to qualify for the final four should he beat second seed Alexander Blockx in his third and final group stage match.
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Prizmic made his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open in 2024, where he came up against defending champion Djokovic in the opening round.
He won 16 games in that clash and saved six match points, in what marked the longest first-round match at a major in the Serb’s career at four hours and one minute.
After beating Prizmic in Melbourne, Djokovic said of the then-teenager: “I love the way he uses every inch of the court.
“He is comfortable coming in, he defends incredibly well… I felt I was playing myself in a mirror.”
Dino Prizmic reacts to beating Justin Engel at the Next Gen ATP Finals
Speaking ahead of his decisive match with Blockx for a place in the final four, as per the ATP Tour, Prizmic said: “Of course [it was a must-win] if I want to stay and fight for the semifinals.
“I’m very happy with my performance, I am getting better with every match. Today was a good match for me.
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“The conditions are very fast, so I just tried to play better [than Wednesday] and to use fast footwork. From yesterday, I’m very happy about the performance and I think it will be even better tomorrow.”
Prizmic, who made his ATP debut during the 2022 season, beat Engel 4-1, 2-4, 4-3, 4-1 to triumph.
He tallied a win-loss record of 4-4 on the ATP Tour in 2025 and is currently ranked 128th in the world.
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