Nineteen-year-old American tennis player of Vietnamese descent, Learner Tien, replicated his impressive form from the ATP 250 Mallorca Championships 2025 by brilliantly defeating the top seed and ATP top 10 Ben Shelton 2-0 late on June 25th.
At just 18 years old, Tien created one of the biggest upsets in the second round with his confident performance; his opponent started better but gradually lost form for the remainder of the match.
Meanwhile, Shelton seemed poised for an easy opening match, quickly taking a 3-0 lead in the first set, but a series of unforced errors, including a crucial double fault, allowed Tien to come back and win 6-4.
Learner Tien has dropped out of the ATP top 10 for the third time this season.
A similar scenario unfolded in the second set, with Shelton taking an early lead but failing to maintain it. Tien not only broke back but also saved a set point before playing coolly in the tie-break to close out the match 7-6.
In the 1 hour and 41 minute match, Tien displayed remarkable composure, particularly in the second set where he successfully came back from a 1-4 deficit. He served consistently, returned serves effectively, and only made 22 unforced errors compared to Shelton's 38.
This victory also marks the third time this season that Tien has defeated a Top 10 ATP player, following Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev.
With this achievement, he became the youngest player to defeat a Top 10 opponent on grass since Felix Auger-Aliassime beat Stefanos Tsitsipas at Queen's Club in 2019.
For Shelton, this was his second consecutive defeat at Mallorca, following his early elimination in the 2024 tournament against Paul Jubb (England).
Tien will continue his impressive run and will face French player Corentin Moutet for a place in the semi-finals.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/learner-tien-gay-dia-chan-lan-thu-3-ha-mot-tay-vot-top-10-atp-196250626023753217.htm
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