He is the sensation of the tournament. The young American of 19 years old, Learner Tien, continues to be talked about in the alleys of Melbourne Park. Before the Australian Open 2025, which he plays for the first time, he had never won a Grand Slam match. If he had already participated three once at the US Open – between 2022 and 2024 thanks to invitations – he had never managed to cross this threshold. In Melbourne, the milestone has well and truly been passed. At 19 years and 55 days (his age at the end of the tournament), “Learner Tien is the second youngest player since the start of the Open era to advance to the round of 16 of the Australian Open after crashing out of qualifying,” indicated the account X Game, set and math, specialist in tennis statistics.
Qualified for the final table, he did not tremble to foil the Russian, number 5 in the world and triple finalist on the Rod Laver Arena, Daniil Medvedev, courageously eliminated in five sets during the second round. At the same time, he even offered himself his first victory against a top 10. He then brought down Corentin Moutet (69th) the next round, Saturday January 18, in three sets, 7-6 [10]6-3, 6-3.
For their first confrontation, the Frenchman was surprised by the level of play produced by this player just out of adolescence. “He doesn't give away a lot of points for free. He turns everything around. Physically and mentally he is very stable. It's very hard to open up angles because he puts a lot of length into his shots.” recognized the Ile-de-France resident. Even after two rounds in five sets, Learner Tien did not seem physically affected, quite the contrary. “He is very strong mentally and especially physically, it’s impressive. At his age, when I played long matches, the next day, I was sore all over.It is by playing matches and matches that the body gets used to it. He already manages to cope with this workload and match load.” admitted, admiringly, Corentin Moutet.
At only 19 years old, Learner Tien even shows himself to be very mature and realistic about his game and his performances. “I had in mind that the fall [serait] inevitable after a big victory [contre Medvedev] or a good match. I gave myself some time to absorb it. After that, I focused on the next one and the one I had today,” he reacted very simply at a press conference.
“I managed to do it quite well and put this first match behind me. I still have a certain confidence from the victory.”
Learner Tien, 121st player in the worldfinally press conference
Precocious in tennis as well as at school (he obtained the equivalent of the baccalaureate in the United States at 15 years), Learner Tien, who reached the final of the Australian Open and the US Junior Open in 2023, went from 453rd place in the world in January 2024 to 122nd at the end of December. The balance sheet speaks for itself : in 2024, he won 60 wins for only 11 defeats.
-To conclude 2024 in style, he reached the final of Next Gen, where he lost against another player with a promising future, the Brazilian Joao Fonseca (18 years old, 112th in the world), already seen by his compatriots and peers as the successor to “Guga”, Gustavo Kuerten. After his epic against Daniil Medvedev, Learner Tien attracted many compliments including those from Novak Djokovic. “I love the way he plays the big points. He is courageous, he hits very cleanly, he is a complete player. It is impressive that such a young player is able to play so well on a big stage. I am a fan of his game”, congratulated the Serb. The latter also confided that he “saw a little [son] game in his, especially when I was his age, when you're letting go of your shots carelessly, just showing what you're capable of.”
“Learner Tien is part of the same generation of Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik (19 years old, 48th), who is already more established. They have a lot of talent, and we will see them ranked higher in the future.” assures Arnaud Clément, ex-top 10 and consultant for franceinfo: sport. “He has a great mind, he still notes. It's always revealing for a player when he discovers this format in five sets, to see how he reacts. He was pretty incredible in handling the fifth round against Medvedev.”
According to our consultant, these players, with significant room for improvement, can dream big. “It is very possible to see them achieve one or two notable results this season, and perhaps even move up to the top 50 or 30″, he insists. Qualified for the round of 16 from his first participation, Learner Tien, who will face Lorenzo Sonego, is already assured of joining the top 100 at the end of the tournament.
