Young Vietnamese-American star Learner Tien defeats a top 10 opponent, reaching a significant milestone

Learner Tien is showing impressive advancements in 2025, marking his debut official season on the Tour as a Vietnamese-American athlete.

The Vietnamese-American tennis player Learner Tien hit important milestones after his victory over Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 China Open 2025 last night, September 29.

This marks Tien’s fifth win against top 10 players in the 2025 season — an extremely commendable achievement. Previously, the 2005-born player defeated Daniil Medvedev in a five-set match at the Australian Open, Alexander Zverev at the Mexican Open, Ben Shelton at the Mallorca Championships, and Andrey Rublev at the Washington Open.

Overall, Learner Tien holds a 5-3 career record against top 10 opponents (with losses to Frances Tiafoe at the 2023 US Open, Alexander Zverev at the 2025 Roland Garros, and Novak Djokovic at the 2025 US Open). Against strong players, Tien consistently shows great composure and creates difficulties through smart play, exploiting his opponents’ weaknesses.

Additionally, by reaching the semifinals at this year’s China Open, Tien will rise to at least world No. 39 — his career-best ranking — making him the leading teenage player currently, surpassing Joao Fonseca. This is also the first time a Vietnamese-American player has reached an ATP Tour semifinal; previously, he made quarterfinal appearances at the Mallorca Championships and Winston-Salem Open.

In yesterday’s match against Lorenzo Musetti, Learner Tien faced significant challenges in the first set due to Musetti’s powerful and precise shots. Despite losing the opening set, Tien remained calm, executed his game plan effectively, and forced Musetti into tough baseline rallies. The Italian player later suffered an injury and could no longer keep up with Tien’s shots.

After Tien broke Musetti’s serve twice consecutively to lead 3-0 in the third set, Musetti chose to retire, handing the victory and advancement to the young player. In the China Open 2025 semifinals, Tien will face Daniil Medvedev, who recently defeated Alexander Zverev in straight sets despite inconsistent form this year.

The match between Learner Tien and Daniil Medvedev is scheduled for 16:00 today, September 30, Vietnam time.

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