Joao Fonseca vs Learner Tien Prediction Next Gen ATP Finals Tennis Picks 12/19/24

Joao Fonseca won his opening match in the group and on debut against France's Arthur Fils. It was a case of lightning striking twice as Fonseca beat Fils for the second time this year, this time in five sets.

He was a heavy underdog because of Fils' proficiency on the surface, but the Brazilian was clearly superior to his opponent from the baseline, matching him on serve and then dominating on return.

Fonseca hit seven aces in the match and landed 67% of first serves. He won 73% of first-serve points (41/56) and 64% of second-serve points (18/28). He saved three of five break points.

The 18-year-old hammered 18 winners and committed 29 unforced errors.

Learner Tien Preview

Learner Tien completed his own five-set win over Jakub Mensik in the first match of the evening session on Thursday.

Tien had won the first two sets in a tie-break, but surrendered that lead as the Czech came roaring back. But the American produced his own comeback at 1-4 down in the fifth-set tie-break to win 10-8.

The victory is Tien's first at the Next Gen ATP Finals and has now put himself in a very good position to qualify provided he can win at least one of his two remaining matches in the group.

Joao Fonseca vs Learner Tien Head-To-Head

• Fonseca defeated Tien in the US Open junior's final last year. They have not met at a professional level.

Joao Fonseca vs Learner Tien Prediction

This should be a very interesting match and one of the toughest to call simply because both players performed well above expectations on the opening day. Fonseca beat the top seed and tournament favorite Fils and Tien stunned Mensik.

Both players have what it takes to win this match. The format at this event makes it incredibly hard to pick any match to end below four sets (it didn't happen on day one) and that would ideally be the safest bet in this match -200.