With the China Open wrapped up, Learner Tien may not have left with the title, but he left with the invaluable experience of playing a final against Jannik Sinner. The 19-year-old made quite a run at the ATP 500 taking down players like Francisco Cerundolo, Flavio Cobolli, Lorenzo Musetti, and Daniil Medvedev to reach Sinner in the final. With a Win-loss record of 23 – 21 and sitting at a career high No.36 ranking, an ex-pro can’t help hail his prowess.

Former doubles world No.1 John Fitzgerald didn’t hold back when asked about Tien. Speaking on The Tennis Podcast via the Australian Open site, Fitzgerald summed it up simply: “I was very impressed with him. I saw the Medvedev match [at AO 2025]. He’s going to be a great addition to the men’s tour. He already is.” No overthinking needed, the teenager is the real deal.

Beijing showed us why. The 19-year-old American, who first turned heads by stunning Daniil Medvedev in a five-set epic at the Australian Open back in January, stormed through to his first-ever ATP final at the China Open eight months later.

As Fitzgerald pointed out, “Under pressure, against Medvedev, that was a classic. A young kid who could stand up to five sets, late at night, under pressure, and beat someone who’d been in a couple of Australian Open finals, was very, very impressive. I’m so interested in where he goes over the next sort of 24-36 months.”

By the time he hit the Beijing quarterfinals, Tien had already stacked up five top-10 victories in 2025—second only to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner this season. Sinner, of course, stopped him in the final with a sharp 6-2, 6-2. But for a kid who was a boys’ finalist at the 2023 Australian Open just two years ago and just came into the 2025 season after finishing as the Next Gen ATP Finals finalist, this meteoric rise hints at something bigger.

Learner Tien’s breakthrough 2025 season

Tien started 2025 ranked outside the top 120, but by the time the fall swing rolled around, his name was everywhere. The buzz began in Melbourne, where the 19-year-old battled through qualifying and earned his first Grand Slam main draw spot. Then came the real fireworks: a four-hour, 49-minute epic against fifth seed Medvedev that went the distance.

The American stunned the Russian 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-7(8), 1-6, 7-6(10-7), grabbing his first Slam win and becoming the youngest American man to reach the Australian Open third round since Pete Sampras in 1990. He even pushed through to the last 16 before Hubert Hurkacz ended the story. Former coach Eric Diaz wasn’t surprised. “Everybody anticipated some big things for him, but he was just a quiet kid… The more I got to know him, the more I recognised that the aura was there for a reason,” Diaz told reporters, via the ATP website.

That Melbourne breakthrough set the tone, and Tien just kept swinging. In Acapulco, he stormed through qualifying again and stunned world No. 2 Alexander Zverev, becoming the youngest American since Andy Roddick to beat a top-three player. Miami brought another milestone with his first Masters 1000 win over Andrey Rublev, and by August he was knocking out Ben Shelton en route to his first Masters round of 16 in Toronto. With every step, the teenager shifted from dark horse to one of the season’s biggest stories.

The numbers add fuel to the fire. In 2025, Tien is winning 70 percent of rallies lasting nine shots or more against top-10 opponents, while converting 48 percent of break points in those matches—10 percent above the tour average. His forehand speed has climbed since 2023, though his serve is still about 20 km/h off the pace. Enter new coach Michael Chang, who’s tasked with adding bite to that delivery and rounding out his arsenal. He also has the most wins against the top-10, following Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

By September, Tien’s resume read 19-18 with just over $1.1 million in prize money, and a 7-5 edge against top-20 players. Medvedev, Zverev, Rublev, Shelton, Musetti, all crossed off his hit list before he broke into the world’s top 50. Along the way he collected firsts at every level: Slam debut win in Melbourne, Masters breakthrough in Miami, and a deep Toronto run. By the time the China Open arrived, he had turned it into another incredible achievement. Tien was here to stay, eyes locked on bigger prizes.

Learner Tien opens up about his aspirations following his big wins

After his first ATP 500 quarterfinal run in Acapulco, where he stunned Alexander Zverev yet again, the teenager jumped straight into his debut European clay swing at the Mutua Madrid Open. He arrived in Spain buzzing with momentum and a whole lot of wide-eyed excitement about life on tour.

“It’s a lot to take in, playing all these new events,” Tien told ATPTour.com in Madrid. “I’m playing in places I’ve never been, in countries I’ve never visited. But I’m trying to enjoy it all. It’s my first real go at the full Tour, so I’m just soaking it all in. It is cool to share the locker room with the top players, something I am getting used to. I am just excited to play these events.” That mix of nerves and thrill has been written all over his journey so far.

Fast forward to October, and he’s now breaking into bigger stages in Asia. Tien just snagged a first-round win at the Shanghai Masters against Miomir Kecmanovic and will face Corentin Moutet in Saturday’s round of 64. Their head-to-head sits at 1-1, and the question is whether the teenager can swing it in his favor this time.

With confidence growing and momentum carrying over from Beijing, could this be the time the young star tips the scales in his favor and makes some more noise here?