On a thrilling Wednesday in Acapulco, young American tennis sensation, Learner Tien, delivered an impressive performance, triumphing over top-seed Alexander Zverev with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. This win catapulted the 19-year-old Californian into the quarterfinals of the Mexican Open.
This isn’t the first time Tien has made waves; he previously stunned the tennis world by defeating Daniil Medvedev, then ranked fifth, during the Australian Open’s second round this January, advancing to the tournament’s fourth round. Notably, Tien is now the youngest player to secure victories in his initial two encounters against top-five competitors, following in the illustrious footsteps of fellow American Jimmy Connors.
Up next for Tien is match against the eighth seed, Tomas Machac. Machac booked his spot in the next round by beating Daniel Altmaier 7-6 (3), 6-1. Meanwhile, Zverev’s recent forays in South America have been challenging, with early exits in both Argentina and Brazil.
The tournament’s third day was marked by unexpected withdrawals. Among those affected by illness was fourth seed, Holger Rune, who had to retire while trailing 3-0 against Brandon Nakashima. Reflecting his disappointment on social media platform X, Rune expressed, “Furious and so sad at the same time. Had a food poisoning and was unable to play today. One of my favorite places is Mexico and I love this tournament. Absolutely not the way I wanted it to end.”
While the tournament officials have yet to confirm if the illnesses were linked, the second seed, Casper Ruud, and third seed, Tommy Paul, also couldn’t take to the court. Ruud was unable to face local favorite Rodrigo Pacheco. Meanwhile, Tommy Paul had to withdraw in advance of his match against fellow American Marcos Giron, granting Giron an easy passage.
Giron’s next challenge will come against Denis Shapovalov, who confidently dispatched Alex Michelsen with a 6-4, 6-3 win. This year’s Mexican Open is certainly proving to be full of surprises and unpredictable twists.
