The headline wordplay is insufferable. "Fast Learner." "Learner Turns Teacher In Melbourne Park." "Tien Sensation." You get the point.
But American Learner Tien, all of 19 but already surging in the ATP rankings, is growing accustomed to the attention, cringeworthy puns and all.
It comes with the territory when, as an unheralded newcomer, you start knocking off some of tennis’ most established stars. The left-hander kicked off 2025 with an out‑of‑the‑blue run to the Round of 16 at the Australian Open, which included an epic four‑hour, 49‑minute, 6‑3, 7‑6(4), 6‑7(8), 1‑6, 7‑6(7) dismissal of Daniil Medvedev in the second round. The kid who was introduced to the sport on the community courts of Irvine, Calif., as a grade‑schooler became the youngest man ever to defeat a Top 5 player in Melbourne.
Breakfast of champions
“I don’t think I’ve played a match that long ever, or even spent that much time on a tennis court straight. Honestly, I’m just glad to be off,” said Tien, who strolled into his post‑match presser toting a pizza box. Who could blame him? It was well past 3 a.m. Time for breakfast.
“I think belief is a big thing in succeeding and winning in general,” added Tien, the youngest man since Pete Sampras in 1990 to reach the Round of 16 at the year's first major. “I always go on the court believing that there’s a chance I can win. I wasn’t trying to think of the match as anything more important than any other match I’ve ever played. I was just going to go out there, have fun, see what I could do.”
Players the caliber of Carlos Alcaraz were suddenly taking notice.
“I was surprised a little bit about his level,” marveled the Spaniard. “It was incredible.”
With teens Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik grabbing much of the #NextGenATP spotlight, there was suddenly another young force to keep an eye on.
“[They’re] capable of beating anyone, including myself,” said Alcaraz. “They have the level. They’re getting experience in every tournament they play. As they get more experience, they’re going to become even more dangerous.”
Shelton stunner
Tien proved his upset of Medvedev was no fluke when, at the ATP 500 tour stop in Acapulco, he stunned then-world No. 2 Alexander Zverev, 6‑3, 6‑4, en route to the quarterfinals. In June, he took out countryman Ben Shelton in Mallorca, the youngest American man to record a Top 10 win on grass in tour history. He would rise to a career high of world No. 62 as a result.
No tennis idolatry
The two‑time USTA Boys’ 18s Nationals champ (2022-23) says he didn’t really have any tennis idols growing up. In fact, insists Tien, when he was away from the court, he didn’t really watch much tennis at all.
“I always found it kind of boring,” he confessed. “As I started playing more and liking tennis more, obviously, it became a lot more enjoyable for me to start watching. I kind of just appreciated how good the guys I was watching were.”
Reflecting on those early days, when he first picked up a racquet alongside his parents (father Khuong and mother Huyen, a schoolteacher), Tien says he never felt pushed. When it came to his future, he had the freedom to choose.
“My dad pulled me a little more towards tennis, and my mom always wanted me focused on my school, so I think it was a good balance,” he said. “I never really burned out on one of them. One was kind of an escape from the other.”
“They would always give me the option of—I just have to pick one. I kind of realized that I do want to be on a tennis court instead of doing homework.”
As Tien continues to develop, to post the kind of results he has in the first half of 2025, those puerile headlines are sure to keep coming: "Learner Schools Shelton." Not that he minds all that much.
“I have always known my name was pretty unique,” said Tien. “I was always the only person with my name, which I kind of always liked just because it was unique. No one would confuse me with anyone else.”
