Emerging Stars Fuel Jeddah Ambitions on Asian Courts

The hard courts of Hangzhou and Chengdu shimmered under relentless autumn sun last week, drawing a trio of young guns into the fray as the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah entered its decisive phase. Learner Tien, Dino Prizmic, and Shang Juncheng seized vital wins, each point a step closer to the electric atmosphere awaiting from 17-21 December in Jeddah. Their triumphs carried the scent of opportunity, the crowd’s rising hum underscoring the psychological tightrope of a season winding toward its youthful climax.

Tien’s poise anchors third-place hold

Learner Tien stepped onto Hangzhou’s ATP 250 hard courts with the quiet intensity of a player guarding last year’s runner-up scars, his 19-year-old game maturing under the humid glare. He dismantled Mariano Navone in the opener, unleashing a one–two rhythm of deep serves and inside-out forehands that pinned the Argentine back, the ball’s skid on the medium-paced surface amplifying every tactical shift. Against Giulio Zeppieri next, Tien wove underspin backhands into crosscourt exchanges, saving break points with a forehand down-the-line that split the court like a declaration, before Valentin Royer ended his run as the eventual finalist. This quarterfinal surge locked in his third position, a testament to resilience forged in the event’s thickening air, where each rally tested the mental edges needed for Jeddah’s faster indoor battles.

it’s officially Race to Jeddah season #NextGenATPFinals pic.twitter.com/PpvCk1ZwxC

— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) September 23, 2025

The official buzz around the race captured the moment’s pulse, a reminder that Tien’s Hangzhou points now propel him toward a second appearance at the 20-and-under showcase.

Prizmic’s grit challenges top-tier foes

Dino Prizmic arrived in Chengdu ranked fourth, his season’s two ATP Challenger Tour titles fueling a hunger for ATP breakthroughs amid the tour’s fading light. He toppled Terence Atmane, the Cincinnati semifinalist, with aggressive net rushes and low-skidding slices that disrupted the Frenchman’s baseline power, converting breaks in the evening’s sticky warmth. Pushing Lorenzo Musetti to three sets revealed his tactical depth, as deeper returns countered the Italian’s drop shots and one-handed backhand flair, the crowd’s gasps marking every extended rally. His third ATP Tour win of 2025 injected momentum into debut dreams, the hard court’s true bounce suiting his flat strikes and sharpening instincts for the next-gen format’s intensity.

Shang rebuilds path through injury haze

Shang Juncheng, the 20-year-old lefty from China, transformed Chengdu into a stage for redemption, his first-round dispatch of Zizou Bergs laced with the spin of serves that curled wide under floodlights. Back since late July after a six-month foot injury, he varied pace in grinding exchanges, inside-in forehands drawing errors from the Belgian’s movement on the unyielding surface. Ranked 18th, he eyes deep runs in the next eight weeks to climb, the pressure etching focus into his changeover rituals. This week at Beijing’s ATP 500, he opens against Arthur Cazaux, where lefty angles could unlock quick points if his serve holds firm. Meanwhile, fifth-placed Alexander Blockx, sixth-placed Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, and eighth-placed Martin Landaluce chase Challenger points on Orleans clay, their swings heavy with qualification stakes, while seventh-placed Nishesh Basavareddy faltered in Beijing qualifying—a stark echo of the race’s unforgiving tempo. As October 1, 2025, unfolds, these contenders carry Chengdu’s fire forward, Jeddah’s horizon beckoning with the thrill of uncharted rivalries.