Nicolai Budkov Kjaer will make his ATP 500 debut this week in Vienna after receiving a late promotion into the main draw at the Erste Bank Open. The 19-year-old Norwegian, part of the tour’s Next Gen group, is set to face Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Tuesday.
Rising Star in the ATP Circuit
Budkov Kjaer has become a familiar face on the practice courts with leading names, regularly training with Jannik Sinner over the past year and serving as a hitting partner at last November’s season-ending finals. Coached by his father, Alexander Kjaer, he has been told his forehand can be a major weapon when he prepares early, and he is working to bring that level from practice into matches.
His call-up to the Vienna main draw capped a whirlwind weekend. Initially granted a qualifying wild card on Friday, he was upgraded to a main-draw berth on Saturday after a change in the entry list opened a spot. The tournament field is headlined by Sinner and Alexander Zverev.
This season has been a rapid climb for the teenager. He started the year ranked No. 518 and surged nearly 400 places to a career-high No. 136 on 13 October, powered by four ATP Challenger titles and a 34-16 record at that level. He earned his first ATP Tour match win in July at Bastad against Thiago Monteiro and now owns a 5-6 tour-level record. He also gained main-draw access in Stockholm last week through the Next Gen Accelerator program.
Vienna brings a familiar opponent. Budkov Kjaer and Etcheverry met in a Davis Cup Qualifier in February, where the Argentine prevailed in a final-set tie-break. The Norwegian sits sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah and is well positioned to qualify for December’s Next Gen ATP Finals.
Focused on steady progress, Budkov Kjaer says the goal is to make the most of each opportunity as he steps into bigger arenas on the ATP Tour. With a bright future ahead, fans and tennis enthusiasts are eager to see how this young talent will perform on the international stage.