ATP Tour

Engel to make Jeddah debut after Mensik withdraws

Justin Engel is set to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF following the withdrawal of Jakub Mensik on medical grounds.

In addition to making big strides on the ATP Challenger Tour across the year, Engel grabbed headlines with his quarter-final run at the ATP 250 on home soil in Stuttgart in June. By winning his first-round match at the grass-court event — at 17 years and eight months old — he became the second-youngest player, after Rafael Nadal, to claim a tour-level win on all three surfaces (since 1990).

The young German then carried that momentum into a career-best stretch on the ATP Challenger Tour between September and November, posting a 12-7 main-draw record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, including his first title in Hamburg. With that triumph, he made history as the first player born in 2007 to lift a Challenger trophy.

Engel takes the spot vacated by Mensik, who withdrew due on medical grounds. We wish Jakub the best in his recovery and in his preparations for the 2026 ATP Tour season.

Engel will join Learner Tien, Alexander Blockx, Dino Prizmic, Martin Landaluce, Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, Nishesh Basavareddy and Rafael Jodar in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The 20-and-under event takes place from 17-21 December.