#NextGenATP American will break Top 100 for first time on Monday

Learner Tien’s 2025 Australian Open may finally be at an end, but the #NextGenATP American will leave Melbourne with some memories for life.

After coming through qualifying, the 19-year-old earned his first three Grand Slam main-draw wins, including a second-round upset of three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev, en route to the fourth round. Speaking after his four-set loss to Lorenzo Sonego on Monday, Tien could only reflect positively on his debut at the hard-court major.

“It’s pretty tough to put into words, I think,” said Tien. “I came here not really having any expectations. Just, honestly, coming here to play my first Australian Open. Not really having a specific goal of result that I really wanted to leave here with or anything like that. So to have the run that I did is surreal, and honestly, probably a few weeks that I'll remember for the rest of my career.”

Tien’s Melbourne adventure was the latest in a series of novel experiences he has enjoyed across the past month. In December, he capped his 2024 season by reaching the championship match at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, where he defeated Jakub Mensik, Arthur Fils and Alex Michelsen along the way. That run brought increased public attention to the lefty, whose profile has since only increased further following his six straight wins in Melbourne.

“I think it's all new. I'm not super used to it,” said Tien, when asked about stepping into the Grand Slam spotlight. “I don't really mind it. I enjoy the crowds, the big courts. It's all stuff that, I guess, you always dream of having and experiencing when you are young. So I think to experience it now and to have all this kind of coming at me at once is a good problem to have. I'm embracing it pretty well, and I enjoy it.”

Tien began his main-draw campaign at the Australian Open with a five-set triumph against Camilo Ugo Carabelli. It was his first Grand Slam match win at the fourth attempt, and a victory he cites as the highlight of his two weeks in Melbourne.

“I think getting my first Slam win is probably up there,” said Tien. “It was obviously a goal for me coming into this tournament and just this year in general. I think I was 0-3 in Slams before coming here. So just to get that first win was great.”

Like any young player that is not used to playing best-of-five-set matches, Tien acknowledged that he struggled physically against Sonego on Monday. He called for the physio during the second set of the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash, and later cited his marathon five-set second-round triumph against Medvedev, which finished just shy of 3 a.m. local time in Melbourne, as a tough one to follow.

"[Today I felt] a bit broken,” admitted Tien, who had defeated Corentin Moutet in the third round before falling to Sonego. “Pretty tired. I feel like I haven't had that much downtime. I feel like my off days have flown by pretty quick, and I haven't really felt fresh in a while, ever since my second round. That kind of took it out of me, I think.

“I finished really late that night, and it just put me behind. It never really felt like I caught up. My third round, I was fortunate to get off the court in straights, which helped me. But, still, it wasn't really enough, I think, to fully catch me up on how I was feeling physically.”

It All Adds Up

Tien’s exploits in Melbourne have ensured he will on Monday hit another milestone in his young career. He is set to break the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time, likely securing him increased opportunities to compete at the biggest events on the 2025 calendar.

“I think all the Slams, I'm really looking forward to,” said Tien, who is currently No. 80 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. “This will be my first year, I guess, with the new ranking, getting direct entry into the main draw of all the Slams. Really looking forward to that. [Also] one of my favourite tournaments, if not my favourite, Indian Wells, is coming up pretty soon.

“I'm not sure if I'll be in the main draw or not, off my ranking. Looking forward to that one. It's probably my favourite. It's the one tournament I always went to every year growing up, so it kind of holds a special place for me. If I had to pick one, it would probably be Indian Wells. I think I have a few more tournaments before then, but that's the one that I'm looking forward to the most.”