Who could’ve predicted this scoreline before this match? The 19-year-old American tennis player, Learner Tien yet again puts his name in the headlines by clinching one of the biggest wins of his career. In January, he stunned the tennis world with his impressive win against the three-time finalist, Daniil Medvedev in the second round of the 2025 AO. Now, the number 83 manages to seal an incredible win against the world number 2, Alexander Zverev in the R16 of the Mexican Open. After beating Medvedev in Melbourne he said, “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve fully comprehended the magnitude of what I’ve accomplished.” What did he say after beating the German superstar in straight sets?
Learner Tien took just 1 hour 28 minutes to seal the deal by a 6-3,6-4 margin against Alexander Zverev! With this win, he has now become the youngest man to beat a Top 3 player since 2022. Not only that, Tien is now also the youngest American man to accomplish that feat since Andy Roddick (2001). He now has a 2-0 record against the Top 5 players in his career. In this R16 match, we saw Zverev making some silly mistakes. He even missed a routine overhead shot during the breakpoint at 3-4 in the first set. However, Tien managed to keep his composure right from the start of this match.
Beating Medvedev and Zverev in two consecutive months is not a matter of joke! This young lad must be having nerves of steel, isn’t it? Well, in reply to this question during his post-match interview, Learner Tien admitted, “The nerves are definitely there. I try to hide it as much as I can. Sometimes it’s easier than others. Focusing on what I can control and keeping my cool as best as I can has really taken me a long way.”
How did he manage to pull off this emphatic win against Alexander Zverev, though? Well, the youngster said he knew this match was always going to be a “tough match“, so he just tried to focus on things that were in his hands. Tien said, “I honestly couldn’t tell you how I did it. I went out there and tried to control my side of the court. I knew it would be tough. To come through feels great. I’m really looking forward to playing my next one.” He’ll face Tomas Machac (CZE) in the QF. Can he make it to the semis in Acapulco?
Learner Tien on beating Zverev in Acapulco
Learner: “I honestly couldn’t tell you how I did it. I went out there and tried to control my side of the court. I knew it would be tough. To come through feels great. I’m really looking forward to playing my next one.”
“You’ve beaten… pic.twitter.com/MSWeZ8oRzQ
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 27, 2025
Time will tell! However, seeing his incredible performances in the last few months, fans have now started to wonder who is the man behind Learner Tien’s meteoric rise in the bigger stages of the game.
“Everybody anticipated some big things for him (Learner Tien)” – Eric Diaz
Although Learner Tien went down to Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in the fourth round of the AO, his impressive performance against the former world number one drew praise from several tennis experts. He defeated Medvedev by 6-3,7-6(4),6(8)-7,1-6,7-6(7) in that match, and shortly after that his incredible performance against the Russian, we saw Coco Gauff’s former coach Brad Gilbert showcasing his admiration for the youngster.
He tweeted, “Holy Toledo just seeing score, Tien takes out Meedy bear 
in 5th set breaker that’s the 3rd player from Next gen event last month to beat a top 10 player.” With that win against Medvedev, Tien became the youngest American man to reach the AO third round since Pete Sampras in 1990. Seeing him accomplish this astonishing feat, even Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs was spotted heaping praise on Learner Tien.
She wrote, “Still getting over the match between Tien & Meddy. I stayed up till 3 am watching it & I can’t believe the effort from both men! Incredible match & boy oh boy can Tien play! My god! Meddy whatever u think of him, (i 
him) was also so gutsy. Just an amazing match from a teen. 
” Not only them, but even Mark Petechey gave a pat on the back with a cheeky comment! He said, “The performance last night – in Daniil’s words – is going to bring him money, girls, and casino.” Clearly, this youngster has been the talk of the town in the last few months.
Who has been the biggest driving force behind Learner Tien’s rapid rise, though? Well, according to the renowned tennis journalist, Randy Walker, the former tennis player, Eric Diaz has played a pivotal role in Tien’s career. He met Learner Tien when he was just 14 years old. What were his initial thoughts after seeing this youngster? “Everybody anticipated some big things for him, but he was just a quiet kid, so it was always one of those where I was always kind of [thinking], ‘He’s young, you never know.’ But the more I got to know him, the more I recognized that the aura was there for a reason,” said Diaz in a previous interview.
It’ll be interesting to see how far Learner Tien goes in the 2025 Mexican Open, but shortly after this tournament, he will be seen in action at one of his “favorite tournaments“, i.e. Indian Wells. According to him, this tournament holds a very “special place” in his heart. Do you think Tien can do more wonders in the 2025 season?
The post “Try to Hide It”: Learner Tien’s Candid Confession Sheds Light on His Emphatic Victory Over Alexander Zverev at Mexican Open appeared first on EssentiallySports.
