An 18-year-old American, Learnen Tien, is having fun with a breakthrough season. The Irvine native claimed his third Challenger title inside three and a half months in Fairfield, making one other push towards the top-100 after kicking off the season simply contained in the top-500!
A left-hander confronted the previous world no. 17 Bernard Tomic within the title conflict and scored a crushing 6-0, 6-1 victory in 39 minutes, writing historical past because the winner of the shortest Challenger remaining. The Aussie performed properly to succeed in his most notable remaining in over six years, defending two match factors versus Alexis Galarneau within the quarter-final and toppling Tristan Schoolkate within the semi-final.
Nonetheless, Tomic stood no likelihood within the remaining, with Tien controlling the tempo from begin to end en route to a different success. The American dropped six factors in seven service video games, dealing with no break factors and mounting the stress on the opposite facet.
Learnen Tien claimed his third Challenger title over Bernard Tomic in Fairfield.
The previous Wimbledon quarter-finalist couldn’t observe these numbers, touchdown in 41% of the primary serve and dropping nearly 60% of the factors in his video games.
Bernard participant towards 9 break factors and misplaced serve 5 occasions, struggling a heavy defeat in his first Challenger remaining since September 2018. Learnen closed the opening sport of the encounter with a forehand winner and created two break factors within the subsequent one after Bernard’s forehand error.
The American transformed the second after the rival’s forehand mistake, opening a 2-0 lead and touchdown a forehand winner within the subsequent one to cement it. The younger gun landed a forehand crosscourt winner within the fourth sport for 2 break possibilities.
He missed them earlier than seizing the third after Tomic’s unfastened forehand, shifting 4-0 in entrance and increasing the hole. Tien held at love in sport 5 with a booming serve and made one other push on the return within the subsequent one towards a powerless rival.
Bernard confronted two set factors after a double fault and closed a horrible set with one other, permitting his opponent to ship a bagel in 16 minutes! A left-hander held at 15 within the first sport of the second set earlier than the extra skilled participant secured his solely sport with an unreturned serve, leveling the rating at 1-1.
A young person grabbed the third sport with a service winner and generated a break likelihood within the subsequent one after drawing Tomic’s mistake. Learnen transformed it and solid a 3-1 benefit, shifting a set and a break in entrance. The American blasted an ace within the fifth sport, offering one other comfy maintain and incomes his fifth break within the subsequent one following the Aussie’s double fault.
Tien held with an ace within the seventh sport, sealing the deal in underneath 40 minutes and celebrating his third Challenger title inside a few months.
