Fast Learner: Tien Saves Match Points, Fights Into Indian Wells Quarterfinals

By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Photo credit: BNP Paribas Open Facebook

INDIAN WELLS—Learner Tien grew up on Southern California hard courts and continues shrinking safe space for opponents.

The 25th-seeded Tien denied two match points at 4-5 in the decider fighting off Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) thrilling the home crowd in advancing to his maiden BNP Paribas Open quarterfinal.

The 20-year-old Tien continues crafting milestone marks in Palm Springs. Tien is the youngest American man to reach an ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal since a 19-year-old Sam Querrey, now a Tennis Channel analyst, did it back at the 2007 Cincinnati.

The left-handed Tien scored his 10th career Top 20 win and did it in dramatic fashion.

Serving down match point at 4-5 in the final set, Tien saw Davidovich Fokina attack net and was near the doubles alley when he dipped a devious angled forehand pass. The stretched Spaniard shoveled a backhand volley well wide. Perhaps Davidovich Fokina, one of the best players yet to win a Tour-level title, would have been better off letting the pass bounce first and try to take it as a half-volley but given his stretched state and the dipping topspin from Tien, you can’t fault him for going for it.

Tien saved a second match point sliding a big serve down the T eventually navigating a 10-point game to hold for 5-all.

“Obviously two tight points, both match points, I mean, first one was a long rally,” Tien said. “I don’t actually know how I hit that last shot. It was maybe a little bit lucky. I wasn’t trying to hit it that well. I was trying to get it down, but I wasn’t trying to hit that good of a shot.

“So maybe a little bit lucky there. And then I was fortunate to hit a good serve on the second one. Honestly, after saving match points going into the tiebreak, just felt like I was playing with house money, almost, and just loose, really had nothing to lose.”

In the tiebreaker, Tien played with poise, depth and angle draining errors to go up 6-3.

On Tien’s second match point, a drained Davidovich Fokina netted a slice backhand and Tien was through in two hours, eight minutes.

Tien cracked 10 aces and saved four of five break points today.

The Tien train rolls on.

One round after Tien out-aced big-serving compatriot Ben Shelton 15 to 8 in a 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 round of 32 victory, he kept calm and struck the corners on crucial points defeating world No. 19 Davidovich Fokina for the first time.

Tien’s skill mixing deep drives with shorter, sharper angles and his impeccable timing empower him to take time away from opponents.

“What impressed me the most is, I talked to my team (about this) afterwards, I felt like I didn’t have a spot on the court where I could just hit the ball and I felt like I was out of danger,” Alexander Zverev said after defeating Tien in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January. “Doesn’t matter what speed, doesn’t matter the height. I felt like if I was hitting fast but in his racquet, he was using my speed to redirect the ball. If I was hitting a bit slower, he was taking the ball early, being aggressive himself.”

Tien will need to be a fast Learned and decisive facing either world No. 2 Jannik Sinner or Brazilian phenom Joao Fonseca for a semifinal spot.

“Tough match either way. Both are great ball strikers,” Tien said. “Both can really just take the racquet out of your hand when they’re playing their best. I think they are playing right now. I think it’s on serve. Yeah, going to be a really tough match either way.”

Tien’s shrewd court sense and sharp shot-making skills prompted former No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, his doubles partner in the Indian Wells draw, to praise him as the highest Tennis IQ among young players he’s faced. After today’s dramatic comeback, we asked Tien what he considers his best weapons on court.

“I think when I’m at my best, I feel like I’m not making that many mistakes,” Tien said. “I feel like, yeah, my
patterns I’m playing are a bit more unpredictable. I think that I’m really placing the shots kind of where I want to put them.

“I think, you know, shot selection is like a big part of my game. When I’m playing my best, I think that I’m just hitting my spots well and just executing what I’m trying to do.”