Learner Tien Becomes Golden Boy of US Men's Tennis with Stunning Aussie Open 1st Week
By H Y Nahm | 18 Jan, 2025

A 19-year-old Vietnamese American leftie shows championship mettle by outslugging 5th seed Daniil Medvedev.

Irvine native Learner Tien cruised into the 4th round of the Australian Open Saturday with a straight-set thrashing of Frenchman Corentin Moutet.  The 7-6(10) 6-3 6-3 win came after Moutet suffered an injury to his right thigh but only after Tien had established a convincing edge over his opponent. 

Tien's 3rd-round win is all the more convincing because it came less than a day after outslugging last year's runner up Daniil Medvedev, the 5th seed, in an epic 4 hour 46-minute match that didn't end until three in the morning.  A combination of steady groundstrokes and indefatigable retrieving had given Tien a chance to close out Medvedev in a 3rd-set tiebreak.  After losing that opportunity to a Medvedev ace Tien showed mental toughness beyond his years in grinding out the fifth set win.  His mobility and steely determination was reminiscent of an injured Michael Chang hanging on to win the 1989 French Open at the age of 17.

Tien now has the inside track on becoming the next great US men's tennis star.  It's not only because he's the youngest man to reach the 4th round since Spaniard Rafael Nadal did it in 2005.  Or that his ATP ranking has shot up to No. 80 after his latest win.  More significant is the nerve Tien displayed in capping a grinding 45-stroke backhand-to-forehand exchange against Medvedev's power with a down-the-line backhand winner. 

In the post-match interview Tien said, "I had to pee really bad", to explain why he quickly lost the 4th set with an eye toward getting a starting serve edge in the decisive 5th set.

Learner Tien was born Dec 2, 2005 in Irvine to Vietnamese parents.  His mother was a math teacher, which inspired his name, the way his sister Justice's name was inspired by their father's profession as an attorney.  His father Khuong lost no time introducing Tien to tennis.  Learner was only 5 when he won his first match at the Racquet Club of Irvine under the tutelage of Khuong.  His early promise prompted Khuong to relinquish his coaching role to a professional coach.  That investment paid off when Learner won the the USTA Boys 18s US National Championship at ages 16 and 17.  He played only 10 matches for USC in 2023 before turning pro.