Student Tien on rising hopes: ‘I don’t feel a weight on my shoulder in any way’ | ATP Tour

ATP Tour

Tien on rising expectations: ‘I don’t feel a weight on my shoulder in any way’

The 20-year-old, who reached the last eight at the Australian Open, was the youngest men’s quarter-finalist since 2002.

January 27, 2026

With each passing week, expectations continue to rise for 20-year-old Student Tien. The American first announced himself on Tour at last year’s Australian Open, where he became the youngest man to reach the fourth round of a major since Rafael Nadal in 2006.

Tien is building on that success through 2025. The left-hander claimed his first tour-level title in Metz, claimed the Next Gen ATP Finals crown and moved into the Top 30 of the PIF ATP Rankings. Just three weeks into 2026, he once again demonstrated his rapid rise in Melbourne. Over the course of the two days, Tien advanced to the Australian Open, becoming the youngest American to reach the quarter-finals since 2002, before his streak was halted by Alexander Zverev on Tuesday.

So, does more expectation bring more stress?

“I don’t think about it too much,” Tien said when answering the question on his post-match presser following his four-set loss to Zverev. “I don’t feel a weight on my shoulder in any way. I’m very lucky to be in the position I’m in and I think I live a very special life that a lot of people don’t get to live. I think it’s good to move around and play tennis. I enjoy that as much as I can.”

Tien’s Melbourne campaign is marked by intensity and quality. The number 25 seed rallied from two sets to one down, and came from a break down in the fourth set, when he faced Marcos Giron in the opening round. He then confidently cruised past Alexander Shevchenko and Nuno Borges to reach week two.

The highlight came in the fourth round, where Tien made a statement against Daniil Medvedev, knocking out the final three times for the loss of just seven games. The win improved Tien’s record to 3-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, as they also defeated World No. 1 former in Melbourne last year.

“I’m very happy with the way I played all week,” said Tien. “I think game by game I’ve just gotten better. I’m really happy with how I’ve progressed in the tournament. I went down in the first four rounds, so to be in the quarter, it’s amazing.

“The fact that I was able to get into the quarters, that was my goal going into the year. I’m very happy to tick that box at the first Slam of the year.”

Working alongside Tien in Australia was coach Michael Chang, who joined America last August. The 20-year-old is happy with how his relationship with the former Roland Garros champion is progressing.

“I think he’s always calm. He gives me a lot of things during the match, especially things that I might not get. A lot of it was encouragement, telling me to stick with him as much as I can,” Tien said of the advice Chang gave during his match against Zverev.

“It’s obvious [Zverev] you played a good game. He played well from start to finish, so certain parts of the game, I was just trying to stay with him and not let him get away with things. So it’s more than that. He was just encouraging me here and there.”