19-year-old American tennis player of Vietnamese origin Learner Tien recreated his excellent form at the ATP 250 Mallorca Championships 2025 when he excellently defeated the No. 1 seed - top 10 ATP Ben Shelton 2-0, late on June 25.
Only 18 years old, Tien created one of the biggest shocks in round 2 when he played with great confidence, his opponent started better but gradually lost form in the rest of the match.
Meanwhile, Shelton seemed to have an easy opening match when he quickly led 3-0 in the first set, but consecutive mistakes, including an important double serve, helped Tien come back with a 6-4 victory.
Learner Tien drops out of ATP top 10 for the third time this season
A similar scenario repeated itself in the second set as Shelton continued to take an early lead but was unable to maintain the advantage. 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 match that lasted 1 hour and 41 minutes, Tien showed his bravery, especially in the second set when he was down 1-4 but still successfully came back. He served consistently, returned effectively and only made 22 unforced errors compared to Shelton's 38.
The win also marked the third time this season that Tien has defeated a Top 10 ATP player, after Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev.
With this achievement, he became the youngest player to beat a Top 10 opponent on grass since Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas at Queen's Club 2019.
For Shelton, this is the second consecutive defeat at Mallorca, after he was also eliminated in the first round of the 2024 tournament against Paul Jubb (England).
Tien will continue his journey to make a splash 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
Comment (0)