Learner Tien Upsets Top Seed Ben Shelton in Mallorca

MALLORCA, Spain — Learner Tien, a 19-year-old American tennis player, achieved an impressive victory over top-seeded Ben Shelton on Wednesday, defeating him 6-4, 7-6(2) at the Mallorca Championships.

The match, which lasted one hour and 41 minutes, marked Tien’s third victory against a Top 10 player this year. Ranked 67th in the world, Tien displayed his skills by committing 16 fewer unforced errors than Shelton, 22 to 38, and rallied from a 1-4 deficit in the second set.

“I thought I returned really well today,” Tien said. “It was tough to serve with the wind, but I gave myself plenty of chances in return games.”

This victory makes Tien the youngest player to defeat a Top 10 star on grass since Alex de Minaur did so in 2019 at the Queen’s Club. Tien’s triumph sets up a quarter-final clash with France’s Corentin Moutet, who advanced after defeating Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 7-6(3), 7-6(3).

In other matches at the tournament, third seed Alex Michelsen defeated fellow American Brandon Holt 6-4, 6-4, while seventh-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut ousted Australian qualifier Bernard Tomic 6-3, 6-3.

Tien will now aim for his first semi-final berth in an ATP Tour event as he continues to impress on the court. He looks forward to his upcoming matches ahead of his Wimbledon debut next week.