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The youngest player in the US Open field is 17-year-old Learner Tien from Irvine, California. The only other player his age in the tournament is Jakub Mensik, who turns 18 on 1 September.
Tien will try to secure his first tour-level victory when he faces 2022 semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe on Monday inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Before the match, ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the Tien.
Learner First Held A Racquet Before Turning Two
Tien’s parents, Khuong Tien and Huyen Tien, played tennis recreationally. Naturally, they passed the sport onto their son from a young age. In fact, Tien first held a racquet at the age of one and a half.
A lefty, he would play with his family at community courts in Irvine, California. His father was his primary coach until he was brought into the USTA Player Development programme at 10 or 11 years old.
The Californian First Played The US Open Aged 16
One year ago, Tien competed in the US Open as a 16-year-old, pushing Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic to four sets. He earned his wild card into the draw by winning the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships, becoming the event’s youngest champion since Donald Young in 2005.
Tien repeated the feat this year to earn another US Open wild card. Ironically, he defeated Trevor Svajda in the final. Svajda’s older brother, Zachary Svajda, was the most recent two-time champion at the event.
“Winning the Boy’s 18s National Hard Courts back-to-back years at the age of 16 and 17 have been major stepping stones in my career so far,” Tien said.
Tien Has Enjoyed Major Success
While he is set to compete in a major as a professional for the first time, Tien has enjoyed success at Grand Slam tournaments as a junior. Less than three months ago, he advanced to the semi-finals of the Roland Garros boys’ singles event after making the final of the Australian Open Boys’ Singles tournament earlier in the year.
Ironically, the only major at which Tien did not reach at least the quarter-finals was the US Open, where he lost in the first round last year. Tien reached a career-high World No. 4 in the juniors.
He Played A Semester Of College Tennis
Despite only being 17, Tien played a semester of college tennis at the University of Southern California this spring before turning professional. He also began high school early, aged 11-and-a-half.
“To my brothers, thank you for taking me in as the naive kid I was and opening my eyes to see that there was a part of tennis so much bigger than just myself,” Tien wrote after deciding to turn professional. “Above all else, thank you for the lifelong memories and friendships. You guys will always have my support, and I look forward to seeing you all crush it next year.”
Learner’s Favourites Off Court Are…
When not playing tennis, Tien enjoys watching movies and playing video games. His favourite movie is Gladiator and television show is Breaking Bad.
The lefty’s guilty pleasure is candy and favourite school subject is English. The American said his best quality is his composure and his worst quality is his indecisiveness.
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