Arthur Fils vs Learner Tien Prediction Next Gen ATP Finals Tennis Picks 12/20/24

Arthur Fils secured a much-needed win over Jakub Mensik on Thursday to boost his qualification hopes. Fils had been outsmarted by Brazil's Joao Fonseca in his opener and stood on the brink of elimination.

But last year's finalist becomes the first player this week to win a match in straight sets. Fils was simply too good for Mensik on the day, dropping seven games in an hour and 19 minutes of play.

In the victory, Fils racked up six aces and landed 60% of first serves. He won 76% of first-serve points (25/33) and 59% of second-serve points (13/22) and saved four of five break points he faced.

The Frenchman won 44% of return points (25/57) and finished the match with 22 winners and 23 unforced errors. Fils must beat Learner Tien to reach the semifinal.

Learner Tien Preview

Learner Tien had beaten Jakub Mensik in his opening match but could not follow it with victory in his second group match. The American lost to Joao Fonseca in a rematch of their US Open junior final from last year.

Fonseca overpowered Tien in the first two sets 4-0, 4-0 before Tien found his footing in the third set and broke his opponent for the first time.

In the fourth set, Tien lost his serve right at the very end and wouldn't recover. Tien hit four aces and two double faults. He landed 73% of first serves and won 65% of first-serve points (28/43) but only 31% of second-serve points (5/16).

The World No. 122 finished the match with 13 winners and 21 unforced errors.

Arthur Fils vs Learner Tien Head-To-Head

• Fils beat Tien in the first round of this year's US Open in four sets.

Arthur Fils vs Learner Tien Prediction

After questions about Fils' motivation and enthusiasm after his opening-day defeat, it was nice to see him produce a response in a grand manner, beating Mensik in straight sets. Maybe that's the confidence booster he needed to get his campaign up and running. And it spells bad news for Tien who struggled to contain Fonseca's unerring power in the previous match. Fils will bring the same or even higher level of placement in his shots to cruise into the semis.