Learner Tien clinched a thrilling victory in his opening match at the 2026 Australian Open with impressive stats.

The young American player demonstrated great resilience to advance after nearly four hours of intense play.

Young player Learner Tien impressively reached the second round Australian Open 2026 following a dramatic 3-2 win (7-6; 4-6; 3-6; 7-6; 6-2) over Marcos Giron on the morning of January 19, Vietnam time.

Tien, aged 20, is seeded for the first time in a Grand Slam. However, it could be said that the player, whose family once lived in Vietnam, was unlucky to face fellow American Marcos Giron — one of the notable unseeded players.

Giron, coached by Maxime Tabatruong — a former French-Vietnamese player — along with Karue Sell and Constant Lestienne, has been in excellent form early in 2026, reaching the semifinals of both the Hong Kong Open and ASB Classic. In their only previous Tour meeting at the 2025 Madrid Open, Giron emerged victorious.

Tien faced a particularly tough match against Giron's outstanding forehands. The 2005-born player won the first set tie-break but then Giron took the lead as Tien struggled on his service games.

Things became even tougher for Tien in the fourth set when he lost his service game early. Nevertheless, with his determination and endurance, the reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion leveled the score and once again defeated Giron in the tie-break to push the match into a decisive fifth set.

There, Tien continuously broke Giron's serve, taking a 5-0 lead. Giron's efforts only reclaimed one break before conceding defeat after 3 hours and 43 minutes of battle.

Statistics show Tien served 21 aces compared to 14 by his opponent — surprising for a player not highly regarded for his serve. He hit 68 winners, maintained over 70% first-serve points won, and saved 67% of break points. However, he also committed 10 double faults and 51 unforced errors.

Learner Tien’s second-round opponent at this year’s Australian Open will be Alexander Shevchenko — the Kazakh player who also came from behind to beat Elias Ymer. Generally, Tien will not face a higher-ranked opponent until the fourth round, possibly Daniil Medvedev, whom he defeated last year at Melbourne Park.