Next Gen ATP Finals Prediction: Learner Tien vs Nicolai Budkov Kjaer
01:49 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Learner Tien -285 / Nicolai Budkov Kjaer +200
Tournament details
Tournament name: Next Gen ATP FinalsDraw: 8-player field
Surface: Indoor hard
Total prize money: $2,101,250
Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Learner Tien vs Nicolai Budkov Kjaer Preview
Learner Tien was primed to cruise to the title at the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals, but he has so far struggled to deal with the weight of expectations. Last year’s runner-up opened the tournament this week with a shock five-set loss to Rafael Jodar. Tien squandered four match points.
But the American lefty produced a resurgent comeback win against Martin Landaluce in his second group match to boost his qualification hopes. Tien took down Landaluce in four sets, winning a pair of crucial tiebreaks. Tien could qualify even with defeat, but that scenario depends on the result between Landaluce and Jodar. So the top seed would know by the time he takes to the court, but if he needs no guarantees, Tien can qualify with a straight sets win.
Nikolai Budkov Kjaer is one of two players who remain undefeated after two group matches. The Norwegian defeated Rafael Jodar in the last match in four sets. The match took 22 games to decide and lasted an hour and 19 minutes. Budkov Kjaer prevailed 4-1, 4-2, 1-4, 4-2 to hold a perfect 2-0 group stage record on his debut appearance.
In the victory, Budkov Kjaer hit 7 aces and 2 double faults. He landed 67% of first serves in play and won 66% of first serve points (27/41). Budkov Kjaer won 35% of second serve points (7/20) and saved five of nine break points.
Learner Tien vs Nicolai Budkov Kjaer Head-To-Head
Tien and Budkov Kjaer have never met before this.
Learner Tien vs Nicolai Budkov Kjaer Prediction
Of the many possible scenarios, only one could eliminate Budkov Kjaer. He would need to lose in straight sets against Tien and Jodar to beat Landaluce with the same score. But I’m circling over 22.5 games here. Budkov Kjaer has been on a tear this week and his first-strike aggression should bag him a set or two.