Tien claws back to reach Beijing breakthrough
In Beijing’s unforgiving heat, Learner Tien turned a semifinal rout into redemption, rallying past a hobbled Daniil Medvedev to secure his first ATP Tour final against Jannik Sinner.
Under the relentless October sun at the China Open, the hard courts shimmered as Learner Tien, the 19-year-old American lefty, faced his sternest test yet in a maiden tour-level semifinal. Trailing deep in the second set against the wily Daniil Medvedev, he summoned a surge of defiance, his groundstrokes finding sharper angles amid the rising tension. What unfolded was a two-hour, 26-minute odyssey of grit, ending 5-7, 7-5, 4-0 when the 29-year-old Russian retired, his right knee taped and movement crippled by apparent cramps.
Clawing back from the brink
The air hummed with anticipation as Tien absorbed Medvedev’s probing baseline fire early, his own returns occasionally skidding long under the pressure of the World No. 18’s elastic defense. Down 1-4 and then 3-5 in the second, the young American sharpened his footwork, redirecting crosscourt rallies into aggressive one–two combinations that forced the veteran into hurried slices. The crowd’s murmurs built into a roar as a flurry of unforced errors from Medvedev—forehands drifting wide—flipped the frame, handing Tien the momentum in a psychological shift that echoed his earlier straight-sets upset over the same opponent at the Australian Open.
This resilience bolstered Tien‘s 2-0 head-to-head edge and his 7-5 ledger against Top 20 players, marking him as the second-youngest finalist in China Open history, behind only Rafael Nadal. The lefty’s persistence transformed despair into destiny, his inside-out forehands curving away to expose gaps in the Russian’s coverage, the ball’s spin kicking up dust on the grippy surface.
I was down 3-5 and 2-4 in the second and clawed my way back. I didn’t think anything was wrong with him and then he came out of the bathroom break kind of limping, so I was not sure if he was cramping or if he was injured as he had tape on his leg. I think it was cramping and I have been there and it is not fun. All the best to him and it is not how you want to come through a match but I am happy to be in the final.
Sinner vs Tien For The Title!
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 30, 2025
Who takes home the crown?@ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/iB3QwMWwMc
Medvedev‘s falter reveals tour’s toll
As the decider dawned, Medvedev’s strides shortened, his trademark retrieval reduced to labored half-steps that left the court yawning open. Tien pounced with flat inside-in shots that skimmed the lines, the hard court’s moderate bounce amplifying his flat-hitting style while sapping the bite from the Russian’s underspin backhands. The 29-year-old, chasing his second final of the year and first on hard since Indian Wells in March 2024, fought through visible discomfort, but the humid conditions turned his intensity into hesitation, his down-the-line attempts morphing into weak half-volleys.
Tien’s empathy shone in his reflection, a maturity born from his own battles with the tour’s physical demands, underscoring how Beijing‘s heat exposed the fragility beneath elite facades. The American’s tactical tweaks—varying depths to disrupt rhythm—propelled him forward, his surge up 16 spots to No. 36 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings securing a second straight qualification for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, where he sits second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah.
Sinner showdown tests rising star
With the semifinal haze lifting, Tien’s focus sharpened on Wednesday’s title tilt against World No. 2 Jannik Sinner, a generational clash where the Italian’s booming serve and precise inside-out forehands will probe the 19-year-old’s poise. As the third-youngest tour-level finalist this season—behind only Miami champion Jakub Mensik and Buenos Aires winner Joao Fonseca—the lefty carries the weight of a breakout year laced with upsets and endurance trials. Beijing’s swift surface, rewarding bold risks, sets the stage for a chess match of angles and mental fortitude, where Tien’s newfound underspin approaches might counter Sinner’s power, potentially etching his name into ATP lore with a maiden crown amid the @ChinaOpen‘s electric buzz and #ChinaOpen fervor.
