Learner Tien Is The Brightest Pupil | Defector

"You will notice the announcer of the following highlight reel continually returns to one word to describe Learner Tien's performance against Alexander Shevchenko in the second round of the Australian Open: control. The 20-year-old American tidily dispatched Shevchenko in two quick hours, half of which the Kazakh spent in apparent physical agony and the entirety of which Tien spent in command."

"Tien is one of my favorite players to watch in men's tennis. That's because, among the really great and really young players in the game, Tien has a unique blend of strengths and weaknesses. Really, it's weakness, singular: Tien's serve, the most important shot in tennis, is a liability. In a tour otherwise populated with monstrously powerful servers, Tien's first serve hovers around 110-115 mph-roughly a dozen mph slower than the tour's biggest guns-on a good day."

"It's not his fault. Tien is 5-foot-11 ( USC's website quite generously lists him two inches taller) with relatively short arms, so the power deficit means his second serve gets feasted upon while the first serve needs to be extremely accurate in order for him to get free points. Per ATP stats, Tien averaged as many aces as double faults over the past year, and he wins 78.1 percent of his service games, 64th on the Tour."

Learner Tien defeated Alexander Shevchenko in the Australian Open second round in roughly two hours, controlling rallies while Shevchenko showed visible physical distress for much of the match. Tien's advantage grew throughout the four brief sets, finishing with the 25th seed rolled. The 20-year-old combines high-level striking, craft, and tactical command with a notable serving deficiency: a first serve that typically reaches only 110–115 mph and a vulnerable second serve. Physical attributes (5-foot-11 and relatively short arms) limit serving power and cause more second-serve attacks. Recent adjustments — deeper loading, a pinpoint stance, and surprise tactics — have increased his aces and reduced the gap, while his groundstrokes remain the dominant strength.

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