ATP Next Gen Finals: Learner Qian Dominates to Claim Title, Nadal Attends to Congratulate

On December 21, 2025, the ATP Next Gen Finals final took place, where 20-year-old American rising star and top seed Learner Qian decisively defeated his fellow 20-year-old Belgian opponent and second seed Broox with scores of 4-3(4)/4-2/4-1 to win the championship. Last year, Learner Qian was runner-up after losing to Brazilian rising star Fonseca in the final. After a year of growth, he returned to Jeddah to make amends with a trophy. This victory earned him $502,250 in prize money and made him the third top seed to win the tournament after Tsitsipas (2018) and Alcaraz (2021).

Learner Qian Caps Off the 2025 Season with a Championship

"It’s incredibly meaningful to have my name alongside these past champions," Learner Qian said after the match. "Everyone who has won here has gone on to achieve great success, so being mentioned with them means a lot to me. I’ve waited a whole year for this trophy, especially after narrowly missing out last year. This moment feels amazing."

Past ATP Next Gen Champions (No event in 2020)

2017: Chung Hyeon

2018: Stefanos Tsitsipas

2019: Jannik Sinner

2021: Carlos Alcaraz

2022: Brandon Nakashima

2023: Miomir Kecmanović

2024: Fonseca

2025: Learner Qian

As the top seed and the only player ranked in the ATP Top 100, Learner Qian was the clear favorite before the tournament began. Although he squandered four match points and lost his opening group match to Hodar, he quickly recovered to defeat Landarus and Budkov Sher, advancing from the Blue Group. He then won straight sets in both the semifinal and final against Basavareddy and Broox to claim the title.

As an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation, 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal attended the final in person and congratulated the new champion Learner Qian after the match.

"I’m very happy with this season," Learner Qian reflected on 2025. "I accomplished many of my set goals this year. Although my wish list is still long, most of it has been fulfilled, which makes me feel especially satisfied."

Learner Qian’s rapid rise is closely linked to his collaboration with former French Open champion Michael Chang, which began in August this year. Under Chang’s guidance, Qian built strong momentum in the second half of the year. Speaking about Chang, he said, "He’s not the type of coach who constantly gives instructions during matches, but whenever I need advice at critical moments, he offers timely guidance. This style has been very beneficial to me."

Learner Qian made a breakthrough at this year’s Australian Open, reaching the round of 16 as a qualifier, becoming the youngest player to do so since Nadal in 2005. He then reached his first ATP Tour final at the China Open (losing to Sinner) and won his first career tour title a month later at Metz. This season, he defeated Top 10 players five times, rising from world No.122 at the start of the year to No.28 currently. He will debut as a seeded player at next year’s Australian Open, and this championship is expected to fuel his strong momentum for the 2026 season.

(Article and editing by Wang Fei, images courtesy of Visual China)