Tennis News: 

Joao Fonseca Wins Next Gen Title in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; World League Tennis, United Arab Emirates

Written by Edda Bevilacqua

Next Gen Championships, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Brazilian tennis player Joao Fonseca defeated American Learner Tien to become the second-youngest winner of the Association of Touring Professionals (ATP) Next Gen Championship since Jannik Sinner won the event in 2019. Eighteen-year-old Fonseca defeated Tien 2-4, 4-3, 4-0, 4-2 to take the title in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (The event is scored differently than a traditional tournament, with four games winning a set, unlike a regular tournament, which requires six games to win). 

Fonseca won all five of his matches at this tournament for players 21 years old and younger. He met and defeated 19-year-old Learner Tien twice during the week-long tournament en route to victory. In winning the Next Gen Tournament, Fonseca joins the illustrious company of four-time Major Champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Number One ranked Jannik Sinner of Italy.

World League Tennis, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Russia’s Andrey Rublev led his team, the Falcons, to victory over the Hawks. Rublev teamed with Caroline Garcia of France, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Denis Shapovalov of Canada to beat the Hawks, made up of Aryna Sabelenka of Belarus, Mirra Andreeva of Russia, Sumit Nagal of India and Jordan Thompson of Australia. The Hawks got off to a strong start, with Andreeva and Sabalenka defeating Garcia and Rybakina 7-6. Andreeva extended the team’s lead by defeating Rybakina easily 6-2. 

However, Rublev came back strong for the Falcons, leading the team to a 20-16 point victory after coming back from an 8-13 point deficit. Rublev has won his second consecutive World League title alongside Mirra Andreeva. His victory at Abu Dhabi marks his first official title of the 2025 season.