'It’s a new perspective that’s really opened my eyes': Learner Tien thrives under Michael Chang’s guidance

Learner Tien delivered the surprise of the week by reaching his first ATP-level final, ultimately being defeated by Jannik Sinner in the title match of the ATP 500 China Open. The 19-year-old star had a dream week, shortly after uniting with legendary coach Michael Chang.

Tien's name was relatively unknown on the Tour until less than a year ago. The American broke into the Top-150 just a year ago and achieved his best ranking to end the season as World No. 122 after reaching the final of the Next Gen ATP Finals, where he was defeated by João Fonseca.

The young American was pegged as a project for the future and started 2025 as one of the players to watch. He quickly made an impact in his first tournament of the year, beating World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev in the second round of the Australian Open—one of the Russian's best tournaments, with three finals in the previous four editions.

It was Tien's first Top-10 victory of his career, and he reached the Fourth Round of the Aussie Open, falling to Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in four sets. Since then, Tien has become a regular on the Tour, quickly reaching the Top-100 and becoming a fixture in ATP-level tournaments.

At 19, he has had a phenomenal season, even if it has often been quiet amid other notable names in his generation, such as the Czech Jakub Menšík (20) or the Brazilian João Fonseca (19). Nevertheless, Tien's performance has been outstanding, with 5 victories against Top-10 players this season—second only to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in this statistic—earning him the nickname 'Giant Slayer'.

The Chang effect: Partnership leads to career-best result 

In his first full season immersed in the ATP Tour, Tien holds a 23-21 record and nearly $1.5 million in earnings. Following his campaign in Beijing, the left-hander enters the Top-50 for the first time, achieving a new career-high ranking as World No. 36.

Amidst a highly positive year, Tien added Michael Chang as his head coach just over a month ago. The former World No. 2 and 1989 French Open champion was with Tien during his US Open appearance, where he was defeated in the first round by Novak Djokovic.

While the partnership was initially intended to be temporary during the teenager's time in New York, it quickly developed into a long-term association. Chang accompanied Tien to the Asian Swing, where he reached the quarterfinals at the Hangzhou Open and then traveled to the China Open, reaching his first final and securing another Top-10 win by eliminating Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals.

For Tien, Chang has been a crucial factor in elevating his results in the final part of the year. “I’ve never worked with a coach that has played professionally before, not at least at that level,” Tien told reporters in China. “I think the experience he has playing and coaching brings a lot because I’m kind of someone starting off and I don’t have that much experience."

“To have a coach that kind of has been through what I’m going through currently, kind of knows the day-to-day, what I could be thinking, how I could be feeling, it’s great,” the 19-year-old star added. “I think you don’t have to be a good player to be a good coach. I think just the experience he has from playing and coaching previously has just really helped me a lot. It’s a new perspective that’s really kind of opened my eyes. A fresh face, fresh voice has just been great.”

Tien's title dream ended with a decisive defeat to four-time major champion Jannik Sinner, 6-2, 6-2, but he left a strong impression as a player just beginning his career. His next challenge will be at the Shanghai Masters, where he is scheduled to debut in two days against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic.