From Melbourne to Beijing, Lenachen has achieved seven major career breakthroughs in the 2025 season.

Even though no American male tennis player has captured a Grand Slam since Roddick’s 2003 US Open win, many still compete within the top 100. Within this context, several American players have made some advancements. In the 2025 season, one such player transformed remarkably from obscurity to prominence, achieving several new milestones in his career. So, who exactly is this player? Let this article take you through his journey.

This American player is Lenachen. At the start of the 2025 season, his world ranking was outside the top 120. In mid-January, Lenachen won consecutive matches in the Australian Open qualifiers against France’s Barrere, Argentina’s Ficovich, and Slovakia’s Kovalik, qualifying for the main draw of the Australian Open for the first time in his career—marking his first breakthrough of the 2025 season.

In the first round of the main draw, Lenachen fought through five sets to defeat Argentina’s Hugo Dellien, earning his first Grand Slam match win—his second breakthrough in 2025. Following this, he defeated former US Open champion and Russian player Medvedev as well as French player Moutet, reaching the Grand Slam round of 16 for the first time, which was his third breakthrough. After the Australian Open, Lenachen entered the top 100 in the world rankings, attracting attention from fans.

Although he faced several setbacks in subsequent matches, Lenachen managed to bounce back. At the end of June, he secured his first Wimbledon win by defeating American player Basavareddy in straight sets in the first round—his fourth breakthrough in 2025. In late July, at the Rogers Cup, Lenachen consecutively defeated American player Ko Smith, Canadian player Shapovalov who had reached Wimbledon semifinals, and American player Opelka, reaching the Masters 1000 round of 16 for the first time—his fifth breakthrough of the season.

Last week, Lenachen appeared at the China Open. In the first round, despite losing the first set, he came back to win two sets in a row against Argentine player Cerundolo, who had previously reached a Masters semifinal. This victory boosted Lenachen’s confidence. In the second round, he dominated Italian player Cobolli to advance smoothly. In the quarterfinals, facing Italian player Musetti, who had reached multiple Grand Slam semifinals, Lenachen recovered from losing the first set to push the match to a deciding set. When Musetti was significantly ahead, he had to retire, allowing Lenachen to reach the semifinals.

In the semifinals, Lenachen faced former US Open champion, Russian player Medvedev. Having previously defeated Medvedev, Lenachen held a psychological advantage. Although he lost the first set 5-7, he dragged the match into the final set. When Medvedev was far ahead in the deciding set, he chose to retire, enabling Lenachen to advance to his first-ever tour final—his sixth breakthrough in the 2025 season.

Yesterday, in the first round of the Shanghai Masters, Lenachen came from behind to defeat Serbian player Kecmanovic. This marked his first victory at the Shanghai Masters and his seventh breakthrough in the 2025 season. That’s the tennis story for today; stay tuned for more tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)