Jeddah Night Sparks a Comeback Charge: Tin and Kier Rally in a Dramatic Next Gen Finals
19 December 2025
Match highlights from Day 2 at the Next Gen Finals in Jeddah
Norwegian Nikolai Bodkoff Kier moved closer to reaching the semifinals of the Next Gen Finals in Jeddah on Thursday after defeating Spanish Rafael Godar in four sets: 4-1, 4-2, 1-4, 4-2. American Lerner Tin kept his qualification hopes alive with a hard-fought four-set win over Martin Landalos.
In the opening evening clash at King Abdullah Sports City, Bodkoff Kier withstood Godar’s late surge in the mid‑match to record his second win in the Blue Group this week, following an earlier victory over Landalos.
After the match, Kier told the ATP site, translated: “I’m just trying to focus on winning matches, but qualifying would be amazing. I started the match strong… every shot landed in, and Rafael looked a touch tense after a big win in the first game. I’m very happy with the win, of course.”
With this victory, the Norwegian avenged his loss to Godar in the 2024 US Open Juniors final. Kier is having an exceptional season, claiming four Challenger titles and vaulting from outside the top 500 to world No. 138.
At day’s end, the American Lerner Tin sealed a decisive win in the so‑called “no-quarter” clash against Spain’s Landalos. Tin, 20, had squandered four championship points to seal the upset loss to Godar on Wednesday, and nearly saw a repeat when he failed to finish the match while serving at 40‑40 in the fourth set.
Despite wasting more critical points, Tin regained his composure in the deciding moments to prevail with a four-set scoreline of 1-4, 4-1, 4-3, 4-3.
After the victory, Tin commented: “Losing four clutch points and then winning is better than having four match points and losing. I’m not completely happy because I let those points slip away, but I’m glad I could finish the job.”
And yes, the drama didn’t stop there—tennis fans surely earned their popcorn as these young guns kept delivering.
Punchline time, Sniper-style: first shot, a killer serve; second shot, a sharper punchline—this match just reloaded the comedy shelf faster than a ball machine on high! And if suspense paid tickets, this arena would be sold out for a decade. Two more serves, two more laughs, I promise this isn't a stand‑up set—it's just tennis with a sense of humor.
