Photo credit: Andy Cheung/Getty
Grass-court tennis can be an educational experience.
Learner Tien accelerated through the lawn learning curve with confidence today.
In a clash of American left-handers, Tien toppled top-seeded Ben Shelton 6-4, 7-6(2), to charge into the Mallorca Championships quarterfinals.
The 19-year-old Tien improved to 3-2 lifetime vs. Top 10 opponents—he upset Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open and beat Alexander Zverev in Acapulco this season—in becoming the youngest man to score an ATP match win on grass since an 18-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2019 Queen’s Club.
It’s a historic win: Tien is the youngest American man to post a Top 10 win on grass in ATP history breaking the record set by another scrappy lefty Tim Wilkison, aka “Dr. Dirt.” Wilkison was 19 years, 7 months when he upset Hall of Famer and then world No. 5 Guillermo Vilas at the 1979 Wimbledon.
View this post on Instagram
Battling back from a break down and 0-3 deficits in both sets, Tien used his sharp placement to combat Shelton’s prodigious power.
“It definitely wasn’t a great feeling start the set down an early break,” Tien said in his on-court interview. “I kind of put my head down in plugging away.
“I was a little bit more used to the heat today. The wind was pretty tough with my toss. It was nice having the breeze. It definitely didn’t feel as hot or I’m more used to it—one of the two.”
Playing with white taping near his left knee, Shelton looked a little hobbled in the second set and tried shortening points popping heavy serves to set up his forehand.
Tien matched Shelton’s ace output (seven apiece), defended his first and second serves slightly better and hit one more winner—22 to 21—in a on hour, 40-minute triumph.
Australian Open semifinalist Shelton saved four break points holding for a 6-5 second-set lead then held set point on Tien’s serve in the ensuing game. Tien stood tall to force a second-set tiebreaker.
When Shelton sailed a forehand long, Tien took a 4-1 tiebreaker lead. Shelton attacked net, but Tien whipped a running forehand pass crosscout for 5-2. On match point, Shelton pushed a volley deep to end it.
Tien, who improved to 10-13, reached his third Tour-level quarterfinal of the year.
The quarterfinals will feature another all-lefty battle as Tien takes on quirky Corentin Moutet for a semifinal spot.
The light-serving Frenchman flicked six underarm serves unsettling eight-seeded Daniel Altmaier 7-6(3), 7-6(3).
Moutet won 17 of 19 trips to net in a two hour, 14-minute win.
It is Moutet’s 11th Tour-level quarterfinal and first of 2025.