When it comes to making a statement, Learner Tien is doing just that this season. As the Asian swing kicked off, the American hit a milestone like no other. He reached the finals of an ATP 500 for the first time this year, facing World No.2 and 2023 China Open champion Jannik Sinner. He couldn’t outlast the Italian, but his fight was impossible to overlook. A former ATP pro even dubbed Tien “a great addition to the men’s tour” — and they’re not wrong. Now, at the Shanghai Masters in testing conditions, the teenager isn’t backing down.

He just notched his third win of the tournament, beating British No.2 Cameron Norrie. Ranked No.33, Norrie clawed back from a breakdown in the first set and even served for the opener. Tien pulled it together and snatched the tie-break. In the second set, the Brit wasted three break points early, gave up his serve in the next game, and later let two more chances slip away.

Learner Tien is now into the Round of 16 after a straight-sets 7-6, 6-3 victory. It hasn’t been easy for anyone in Shanghai. Temperatures soar to 30 degrees, humidity sits at a punishing 80 percent, and the opening rounds have been a grind. Asked how he’s handling the heat, the young gun sounded confident.

In his post-match press conference, he said, “Yeah, I feel like I can go into these matches being able to kind of last through, no matter what my opponent can throw at me. It’s huge for my confidence going out there that, no matter the conditions, I can kind of acclimate and get through these long matches.” That’s quite a mindset — and trouble for his next opponent.

And who’s waiting for him next? Daniil Medvedev. The same player he beat at the Australian Open and again at the recent China Open. In Beijing, Tien pulled off another win, but it was a battle. The American dropped the first set before rallying in the second. Leg cramps forced the 2019 Shanghai Masters champion to retire at 2-1 in the third set, pushing Tien into his first final.

Now, at the Shanghai Masters, he’s among the last 16 standing. Just three past Masters champions remain — Medvedev, Holger Rune, and Novak Djokovic. All have felt the full force of the heat. Nole even threw up on court during his match against Yannick Hanfmann. And Medvedev? He’s fighting the conditions, too, but he’s not budging either.

Learner Tien’s next opponent speaks about his form

The Shanghai Masters has turned wild this week, with withdrawals and retirements piling up left and right. But not Daniil Medvedev. The 29-year-old came in, dialed, and fired his way past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, sealing a gritty 6-3, 7-6 win to reach the Round of 16. The scenes afterward said it all. Medvedev collapsed onto his bench, chest heaving, completely spent from the effort.

Fans immediately flooded social media with concern, sharing screenshots of the exhausted Russian slumped over and breathing hard. Moments later, an ice towel draped around his neck, Medvedev spoke about just how tough Shanghai feels this year. “Yeah, it was not easy, but for me, I like this tournament,” he said. “I’m someone who, when it’s probably about 28, I suffer. Many guys don’t—they suffer when it’s 33 and humid.”

The weather has everyone on edge. The tournament has already lost several names to retirements—Jannik Sinner, Tomas Machac, Casper Ruud, David Goffin, Hamad Medjedovic, Terence Atmane, and Wu Yibing have all been forced to pull out. Atmane shared on Instagram that his body was “shaking” and he could barely breathe between points. Sinner’s exit hit especially hard as the defending champion cramped up badly before retiring mid-match against Tallon Griekspoor while trailing 3-2 in the final set.

Still, Medvedev’s perspective stayed sharp. “So, I suffer many tournaments. Here, everyone suffers, so it puts me in the same condition as everyone, and I’m happy about it,” he laughed. “But I could have played better. I was a bit sloppy in the second set, but I’m happy with the general picture of my game right now, and I’m happy to win.”

Now the question is: can 19-year-old Learner Tien pull off another shocker against the former World No.1? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!