Jannik Sinner has praised Learner Tien after a relatively comfortable victory in their Indian Wells quarterfinal.
Sinner defeated Tien, the last American man remaining in California, 6-1, 6-2 after one hour and six minutes of action.
The Italian now moves on to an Indian Wells semifinal against Alexander Zverev, who won his quarterfinal with Arthur Fils.
Meanwhile, Tien can leave Tennis Paradise with his head held high, with the 20-year-old having left a positive impression on his ATP rival Sinner.
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Jannik Sinner says Learner Tien has ‘improved a lot’
Referencing their only other meeting in the 2025 Beijing final, which Sinner won 6-2, 6-2, the Italian told Tennis Channel: “We have played two times in quite similar courts because in Beijing and here the ball can get very, very slow at times.
“I have the firepower to go a bit against him but at the same time he has improved a lot regardless of the result of today.
“I saw that he has improved a lot and he is going to be very tough to beat in the future. He has had some great results, especially this year.
“Early on in the year he is a very consistent player and also lefty, which we don’t have many, so this is going to be very, very good for him in the future.
“I am very happy about today’s match, playing under the heat and not staying as long in the court, it helps me. There are not so many changes that we have to do.
“For tomorrow we have a normal practice day without shortening up anything and now the stages are getting bigger, the semi-finals against Sascha, I know it’s a big stage but that’s what I practice for.”
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Surface | Score |
| 2026 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells | Quarterfinal | Outdoor Hard | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | Beijing | Final | Outdoor Hard | 6-2, 6-2 |
Jannik Sinner produces Indian Wells serving masterclass vs Learner Tien
Sinner outclassed Tien in every key area in their one-sided affair, although it was mainly due to the lethal nature of his display as opposed to any shortcomings from his opponent.
The victor was ruthless from start to finish, dominating the return and points stats, but his serve particularly caught the eye.
| Learner Tien | Jannik Sinner | |
| 200 | Serve rating | 306 |
| 4 | Aces | 10 |
| 5 | Double faults | 1 |
| 29/49 (59%) | First serve | 30/48 (63%) |
| 14/29 (48%) | 1st serve points won | 25/30 (83%) |
| 10/20 (50%) | 2nd serve points won | 10/18 (56%) |
| 1/5 (20%) | Break points saved | 4/4 (100%) |
| 7 | Service games played | 8 |
It was a serving masterclass from Sinner, who clearly wanted to finish the job as soon as possible against his much less experienced opponent.
It could be a very different story next time out, with Zverev certain to rival the Italian in that key area of their upcoming match.
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Tien will definitely learn valuable lessons from the defeat, after which his overriding emotion should undoubtedly be pride thanks to his superb run.
The 25th seed started out on home soil with a straight-sets win over Adam Walton, before hugely impressive three-set victories over Ben Shelton and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
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