Jakub Mensik vs Learner Tien Prediction Next Gen Finals Tennis Picks 12/18/24

Jakub Mensik finished third in the Race to Jeddah and is one of three Top 50 players competing at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals. 

Mensik has never taken part in this event before, so he will get his first taste of playing against some of his peers of his age group.

The 19-year-old Mensik is coming off a fantastic breakthrough season on the ATP Tour in which he reached his first Tour-level final in Doha and the quarterfinal of a Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai.

Among of his most impressive victories include beating Andy Murray, Andrey Rublev and Gael Monfils at the Qatar Open and famously earned a Top 10 win over Grigor Dimitrov in Shanghai.

Learner Tien Preview

Learner Tien is also 19 but didn't quite make the same impression as Mensik at the ATP level this year, but put together a spectacular season at the Challenger Tour.

Tien won a remarkable seven titles on hard courts in 2024, split between the Challenger and ITF Tours. He's made two finals in his last four tournaments, lifting the trophy at the Fairfield Challenger and finishing runner-up in Knoxville.

Tien ranked fifth in the Race to Jeddah and is set to make his bout at this year's Next Gen ATP Finals.

Jakub Mensik vs Learner Tien Head-To-Head

• Mensik and Tien have never locked horns at any level before. This will be their first meeting.

Jakub Mensik vs Learner Tien Prediction

The unique format of the Next Gen ATP Finals renders pre-match favorites as susceptible to early shocks. And I wouldn't be surprised to see Mensik drop a set or two against an in-form Tien. But it is hard to look past the Czech here. Mensik has had plenty of rest after his retirement in Paris-Bercy at the end of October (a tournament where he retired due to injury/fatigue). If he makes a fast start with his refined game, he stands a chance to close this out in three or potentially four sets. Happy to back the strong favorite in this one.