Next Gen ATP Finals 2025 Day 3 Day Session Recap: Basavareddy Pulls Through

The third day of the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah is halfway done, with the day session finishing not too long ago. It gave us the resolution of one of the groups, with Alexander Blockx and Nishesh Basavareddy securing their spots in the semifinals.

Blockx had actually clinched his spot the day earlier with the win over Basavareddy. He won both his matches and had a 6-1 set differential, which was enough to secure a spot in the semi-finals before today even began. Basavareddy did so by winning today and getting a bit lucky with Dino Prizmic losing, so let’s break down how it all unfolded.

Next Gen ATP Finals 2025 Day 3 Day Session Recap

Basavareddy defeats Engel 4-3(3), 4-2, 4-3(5)

Nishesh Basavareddy knew exactly what he needed to do ahead of this match: win swiftly and hope the second match goes his way. He did just that by outlasting Justin Engel in a somewhat close match that featured two tiebreaks and a whole lot of tension.

Engel had come into this match without a chance to advance, so this was mostly a match where he tried to snag at least one win at the event, a consolation prize after a tough tournament. He failed to do so despite some decent moments. The youngest player in the event largely looked outmatched in most matches due to his lack of experience, and it showed up today as well.

Basavareddy won the opening set with a pretty measured approach that is the calling card of his game. He didn’t serve or hit the ball extremely well, and he didn’t return spectacularly either, but he did all of those things a tad better than his opponent, which was enough in a close tiebreak set. Sometimes, tennis is that simple: be just slightly better at everything, and you’ll win.

The American proved quite a bit better in the second set because Engel just tried to do too much. He was aggressive, which is admirable, but he ended up missing more than hitting. That allowed the measured Basavareddy to cruise through it 4-2 without breaking a sweat.

The final set was the closest one, but Basavareddy was once again slightly better when it mattered. He didn’t convert his break points while he could, a bit concerning, but eventually got it done in the tiebreak 7-5. Overall, the stats back his victory: he had fewer errors, and it truly came down to him simply not beating himself. In the Next Gen format, that’s often enough.

The win didn’t guarantee him a spot in the semi-finals because if Prizmic beat Blockx with a certain scoreline, he would be ahead on set differential. So Basavareddy had to play the waiting game, never a fun position to be in.

Blockx defeats Prizmic 4-3(4), 2-4, 4-2, 4-0

Luckily for Basavareddy, Prizmic had to beat Blockx, who has been arguably the best player at the event so far. The Belgian has showed a high level throughout the event, and it showed up today as well, despite a minor hiccup in the second set.

It wasn’t a perfect match by Blockx because he had more issues on his serve than usual, allowing nine break points. But here’s what separates good players from great ones: he managed to save seven of them, which shows a tremendous amount of poise under pressure. When it mattered most, Blockx delivered.

On return, the Belgian was tremendous as well, generating 12 break points and converting four of them. Most of what allowed him to do that was basically being better in rallies compared to his opponent. Prizmic once again tried to play his typical aggressive tennis, but that doesn’t fly well against Blockx, who defends really well from the baseline.

That forced Prizmic into 29 unforced errors, which might not look too bad compared to the 30 unforced errors Blockx had. But here’s the crucial difference: the Belgian also had 22 winners compared to only 10 for Prizmic, and that’s where he lost the match. Blockx was making things happen with his aggression, while Prizmic was just missing.

The Croatian also visibly gave up towards the end, knowing that even a 3-2 win wouldn’t be enough to secure a spot due to the set difference, where Basavareddy had the better mark. Prizmic needed a more convincing win than that, and once he realized it wasn’t happening, the fight went out of him.

So there you have it: Blockx and Basavareddy advance to the semi-finals. The Belgian looks like the favorite to win the entire thing based on what we’ve seen so far, while Basavareddy has shown he’s capable of grinding out wins when needed.