ATP Next Gen Finals: Learner Qian Returns to the Final, Can Brox Win the Title with an Undefeated Record?

On December 20 local time, the 2025 ATP Next Gen Finals held its semifinals, where top seed Learner Qian and second seed Brox each defeated Basavareddy and Budkov Sher, respectively. After both advanced to the final, they will compete for the championship at 1:00 AM Beijing time on the 22nd.

Brox

Photo: Visual China

The first semifinal took place between Brox, who topped the Red Group, and Budkov Sher, the runner-up of the Blue Group. Brox was undefeated with three wins in the group stage, showing strong momentum; meanwhile, Budkov Sher only lost to the top seed Learner Qian in the last round.

In this match, both players fought fiercely in the first two sets, each decided by tiebreaks; in the third set, Brox broke serve early to seal the victory. Ultimately, Brox won straight sets 4-3(4)/4-3(8)/4-2 by maintaining composure on crucial points, advancing to the final undefeated.

“Although I won in straight sets, I believe this was the toughest match I’ve had all week. Our level of play was really high. I was lucky to edge out the second set at a critical moment. We had some very long rallies, and I’m glad to have shared that moment with him,” Brox said after the match.

Learner Qian

Photo: Visual China

In the final, Brox will face the top seed and last year’s runner-up, Learner Qian, who also won in straight sets, beating fellow countryman Basavareddy 4-2/4-1/4-3(3). Qian has maintained an undefeated record against Basavareddy in their three previous encounters, including their first-round match at this year’s Wimbledon.

In this match, Learner Qian played solidly in the first two sets, and in the third set, both players battled to a tiebreak. Qian secured victory by converting his second match point, becoming the second player since Deminal in 2017-2018 to reach the final of this event for a second consecutive year.

Last year, Learner Qian lost the final to Fonseca, finishing as runner-up. Returning to the final this time, his sole objective is to win the title. “Last year in the final, I won the first set and had chances in the second, but he (Fonseca) turned it around. I will work hard to prevent that from happening tomorrow. Alex (Brox) has played exceptionally well this week, and I’m really looking forward to this final,” he said.

Notably, this final will be a rematch of the 2023 Australian Open boys’ singles final, where the two battled fiercely to a deciding set tiebreak, with Brox narrowly winning 11-9 to claim the title. Reflecting on that final, Learner Qian said, “The only thing I remember is that it was the most heartbreaking loss of my life. Clearly, we’ve both improved a lot since then. I will prepare a new game plan and hope to execute it well. This will undoubtedly be a tough match.”