Hong Kong Open: American rising star Learner Tien to carry his fine form to Victoria Park
The 19-year-old Tien, who is of Vietnamese descent, beat 2 players in the top 50 on his way to finishing second at the Next Gen ATP Finals
Rising Asian-American tennis star Learner Tien, who finished runner-up at the recent Next Gen ATP Finals, will bring some of his new-found confidence to Hong Kong when he joins the field of the season-opening Bank of China Hong Kong Open on Sunday.
The 19-year-old Tien, who is ranked outside the top 100 male players, beat world No 20 Frenchman Arthur Fils on his way to finishing second at the Next Gen event for up-and-coming players in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The California-raised player of Vietnamese descent also beat 41st-ranked Alex Michelsen, who was seeded second, in the semi-final before he narrowly lost to Joao Fonseca of Brazil in a tight four-set final.
The Open, which will be played at Victoria Park Tennis Centre, is headlined by Russian defending champion and world No 8 Andrey Rublev, and three other players inside the world’s top 20.
Besides Fils, the other two are No 17 Lorenzo Musetti and No 19 Karen Khachanov – all are returning to Hong Kong for a second straight year.
The tournament will also feature Top-40 players Nuno Borges of Portugal and Brandon Nakashima of the US.
