ATP 250 GENEVA – Switzerland
At just 20 years old, Learner Tien followed in the footsteps of his coach to claim the ATP 250 Geneva title after rallying past Mariano Navone 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a two-hour and 29-minute battle.
The young American became the youngest champion in Geneva since Marc Rosset won the title at 18 years old in 1989. Tien also revived a long-awaited American success story on the European clay-court swing, something not seen since Michael Chang made his mark on the surface decades ago.
“Last year I really struggled on this surface,” Tien said. “Coming into this year I was really trying to get last year out of my mind. I had a couple of tough losses, and it was a bit discouraging. But people around me are very supportive, and they had more belief in me than I did in myself. I am really happy to win my first clay title here.”
Tien will climb to a career-high No. 18 in the PIF ATP Rankings Monday, 49 spots higher than he was entering Roland Garros one year ago.
“The win gives me a lot of confidence in general for next weeks and months,” Tien said. “Winning a title is never easy. Stringing together these matches and closing it out is never easy. It is a huge confidence boost, especially for next week. It is also a huge confidence boost for next year’s clay-court.”