(Reuters) – Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his idol and world number one Jannik Sinner by winning the Next Gen ATP Finals title in Sunday’s final at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Should the 18-year-old triumph at the $2.05 million prize money tournament for players aged 20 and under, he will be its second-youngest champion behind Sinner, who hoisted the trophy in 2019.
“It would be amazing to replicate Sinner,” said Fonseca, a hitting partner for Sinner at last year’s ATP Finals, where he was convinced by the Italian to turn professional.
“It shows I’m on the right track and would be special.”
Fonseca faces American Learner Tien next with a victory set to make him wealthier by $526,480 as the unbeaten champion, and the Rio de Janeiro native is high on confidence.
“I’m playing a high level. I’m just proud of myself and the way I’ve been with my routine this week, so focused,” he said.
“With my family here, with my three coaches, it’s really nice and I hope I can go for the title.”
The 19-year-old Tien has grown in leaps and bounds this season, climbing from outside the top 450 to number 122 in the world rankings.
“I’m happy with where my game is at,” said Tien, ahead of the pair’s second meeting.
“The crowd has been great all week and it’s always great to play in these environments.”
This year’s edition of the hardcourt event is the second to be held in Saudi Arabia and apart from handing out a huge amount as prize money also serves as a barometer to identify the game’s next big stars.
Past winners of the event, which was previously held in Milan, include Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who have both had tremendous success at the senior level.
Innovation has also been at the heart of the tournament, with singles matches decided through a best of five sets format and each set the first to four games.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
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