The China Open sees another setback—but also a huge leap forward for Learner Tien. The rising American star battled through the ATP 500 event, first defeating Francisco Cerundolo in the opening round. He followed that up with a win over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli to set up a showdown against World No. 9 Lorenzo Musetti. The stakes were high, but fortune has been favoring the teenager.

On Monday, Tien braced himself for a tough clash with Musetti. The Italian came out strong and claimed the opening set. But Tien stormed back to take control in the second. However, in the deciding set, disaster struck for Musetti.

Trailing 4-6, 6-3, 3-0, the Italian was forced to retire. It marked the fourth mid-match exit at the China Open, sparking concerns over player health. But for Tien, it was a breakthrough moment—he advanced to his very first ATP Tour semifinal.

The 19-year-old has been sensational this season. Learner Tien hit a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 48 in August and carries a 19-20 win-loss record for the year. He’s already collected multiple top-10 wins, including upsets over Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, and made the fourth round of the Australian Open. His rise has included a run to the round of 16 at the National Bank Open. And now, he’s gone one step further—he’s in the semifinals of the China Open.

And it’s not just that, with this latest win, the 19-year-old American is guaranteed a spot inside the ATP top 50 when the rankings refresh. He’s already secured 200 points from the China Open but could push that total to 330 if he knocks off Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. He’s expressed his thoughts on his goals and looks like he’s a step closer to reaching them!

Learner Tien speaks his mind on his tennis goals

Last month, Learner sat down with CLAY Tennis and didn’t hold back about his ambitions. “I want to be great. I want to achieve great things in the sport,” the 19-year-old said with quiet confidence. When asked about the meaning behind his name, he paused, then laughed. “My mother sometimes jokes that I was named that, you know, wishfully, hoping I would be one. And I think I do a pretty good job of it. People make a lot of puns and stuff about it.” The words came from a teenager just starting his climb.

Back then, he was ranked No. 55 in the world, drawing inspiration from watching Roger Federer even in his decline and admiring Carlos Alcaraz as the new face of tennis. Fast forward to today, and those dreams are starting to materialize. Learner Tien is now the youngest player to reach the China Open semifinals since Rafael Nadal did it at 19 back in 2006. A big step, and one that sets up another blockbuster.

His next opponent? Daniil Medvedev. And here’s the twist—he’s already taken him down before. It happened earlier this season at the Australian Open. In the second round, Tien shocked the former World No. 1 and 2021 US Open champion in an epic five-set battle, 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 1-6, 7-6.

At the time, he admitted he had nothing to lose: “Belief is a big thing in succeeding and winning, in general. 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.”

Now the stage is bigger, the stakes higher, and the spotlight brighter. Will Tien bring back that same fearless energy against Medvedev in Beijing? Share your take in the comments below!