But it was Joao Fonseca who won the NextGen ATP Finals, beating Tien in the final, with all three then taking on the Australian Open.

And the young trio certainly didn’t disappoint at the first Grand Slam of 2025, with Tien and Michelsen reaching the fourth round as Fonseca exited in the second.

But that exit came after the Brazilian clinched a superb first round win over ninth seed Andrey Rublev, before falling to eventual quarter-finalist Lorenzo Sonego.

Australian Open stars Alex Michelsen, Learner Tien and Joao Fonseca rise ATP rankings

Michelsen and Tien meanwhile also secured huge upsets, with the former beating Stefanos Tsitsipas and the latter beating Daniil Medvedev.

Unsurprisingly, the young trio have now earned ATP Tour rankings rises following their superb runs at the Australian Open.

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz admits what really ‘surprised’ him about Learner Tien after watching him beat Daniil Medvedev

Michelsen has broken into the top 40, with the 20-year-old American climbing from 42nd place to 36th place.

His compatriot and 19-year-old Tien meanwhile has secured a top 100 debut by rising from 121st to 80th.

And 18-year-old Fonseca has also broken into the top 100, moving from 112th place to 99th in the ATP rankings.

Learner Tien and Joao Fonseca soar ATP rankings after Australian Open top 10 wins

Fonseca was the first of the youngsters to fall at the Australian Open, but even that was a five-set battle with Sonego.

The Brazilian teenager emerged through qualifying without dropping a single set, and repeated that feat in his first round win over ninth seed Rublev.

READ MORE: The three players who have the best chance of forming the next Big Three alongside Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Michelsen then caught the eye with his opening round win over 11th seed Tsitsipas and indeed his third round defeat of 19th seed Karen Khachanov.

Home favourite Alex de Minaur then beat the American in straight sets, with his compatriot Tien edged out by Sonego after a stunning second round win over fifth seed and 2024 runner-up Medvedev.

The future is certainly looking bright for the next generation of ATP players, with Jakub Mensik also worthy of a mention in that regard.

The 19-year-old Czech ace knocked out sixth seed Casper Ruud in round two before falling to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Melbourne.

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