ATP Tour

Jodar leads, but Sakamoto & Cina among contenders to reach Next Gen ATP Finals

Anticipation continues to build around the 2026 Next Gen ATP Finals, but who will qualify for the prestigious 20-and-under event?

Rafael Jodar remains atop the PIF ATP Live Next Gen Race To Reggio Calabria following his remarkable rise, but plenty of other players have continued to make moves in their bids to qualify for the showpiece, which runs from 9-13 December in Reggio Calabria, Italy.

Behind second-placed Joao Fonseca and third-placed Martin Landaluce is Rei Sakamoto, who claimed his first main-draw win at the US Open and has surged to fourth with 321 points.

The 19-year-old Japanese star won three rounds of qualifying in New York, including a victory against his idol and former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori, before overcoming Aleksandar Vukic in five sets for his first main-draw win at a major. Sakamoto, who is aiming to make his Next Gen ATP Finals debut, is nine points clear of fifth-placed Federico Cina.

PIF ATP Live Next Gen Race (as of 14 September 2026)

Cina also came through qualifying to reach his first US Open main draw, but fell to eventual quarter-finalist Alex Michelsen in the first round. The 19-year-old Italian is at a career-high No. 168 in the PIF ATP Rankings and is the fifth seed at the ATP Challenger event in Guangzhou this week.

Like Cina and Sakamoto, sixth-placed Joel Schwaerzler (305 points), seventh-placed Jan Kumstat (283) and eighth-placed Diego Dedura (279) are also bidding to make their Next Gen ATP Finals debuts. Schwaerzler won his third Challenger title last month in Poland and has maintained his strong position in the Live Race.

Czechia’s rising talent Kumstat is also in contention after surging to three consecutive Challenger titles in Liberec, Hamburg and Prague, before breaking into the Top 200 for the first time. Eighteen-year-old lefty Dedura, who is just four points behind Kumstat in the Next Gen Race, is in action this week at the Szczecin Challenger.

Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, who made his Next Gen ATP Finals debut in 2025, is ninth on 279 points, while exciting French teenager Moise Kouame is 10th on 273 points. With just 48 points separating fourth-placed Sakamoto from Kouame, the battle for the remaining qualification spots is extremely tight, with every match capable of having a significant impact on the Race.