AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2026

Learner Tien

Press Conference

L. TIEN/M. Giron

7-6, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Congrats. What a battle out there. Share with us your thoughts and emotions.

LEARNER TIEN: Yeah, I mean, I'm happy to get through. I think that's the biggest thing. I don't think I played I mean spectacular by any means, but I'm happy with how I competed and stuck around. It's better to learn from a win than from a loss.

Q. Marcos, you're familiar with him. I know you only have one official match against him, but how many sets would you estimate you have actually played against him and practiced or anything else or hitting with him at Carson and what is that like to play with someone that familiar?

LEARNER TIEN: I mean, we have practiced a decent bit for the past few years when I was a bit younger. I didn't actually hit with him at all during this pre-season for the first time in a few years. I actually haven't hit with him since the US Open when the doubles. That was just warming up. We didn't play any points. Actually the last time we played was in Madrid. So it has been a while obviously.

He's had a great start to the year, I think, and he's playing well. So obviously coming in having played a ton of matches already when everyone hasn't played that much, it's obviously a tough match.

Q. I think this is out of four matches at the AO, three five-setters and three wins. What's the secret to you staying in these matches and pulling them out literally in such hot conditions?

LEARNER TIEN: I think mentally just trying not to get too ahead of myself. Obviously with the extended format, it's kind of tough not to, you know, think to the future when you know you could be playing for an hour and a half or for four and a half.

So just trying to stay present as best I can, focus on the point, the game in front of me, instead of thinking, you know, how long maybe I'll be on the court.

You know, eventually I was fortunate to find myself in a fifth today after being down a break in the fourth. Sometimes at the start of the match it feels like you have such a long way to go, but sometimes before you know it you're already in a fifth.

Q. You were down a break in the fourth and broke back. What would Learner a year ago have been thinking and what is Learner a year later thinking in that same situation? A tough match. Bark and stuff flying on the court. Talk about how you managed the situation.

LEARNER TIEN: I think both of us would have had the same belief, that the match wasn't over. So I think that's something I usually do a pretty good job of. Obviously I have a bit more experience now than I did then, but I think pretty similar.

You know, I broke him a few times before in a match so it wasn't like I never saw any break points or anything like that. So I knew it was possible.

Obviously this early in the season, you know, obviously he's had a couple of good weeks but no one is super match fit. So you know at this point just making guys close you out and just trying to play tough in those moments. Fortunately it worked today.

Q. (Question about a win at the Next Gens.)

LEARNER TIEN: Yeah, I mean I see that kind of -- I've always thought of it as the start of my next season just because I do three, four weeks of pre-season and go to play that event and then I go home for maybe five or six days and I come here. Next Gen almost feels like the start of my next season. So I'm trying to do my best just to maintain that momentum coming here.

Q. I think after the fourth set you had a little conversation with Michael Chang. What did he tell you?

LEARNER TIEN: It was mostly encouragement. Nothing crazy. I mean, I had a bit of momentum at that point. Yeah, I was down 4-3 returning in the fourth and I was able to steal that set. So I was feeling pretty good. I had a lot of adrenaline at that point. Physically I felt fine.

It was just more encouragement. I could see the finish line. So just to keep going.

Q. And what does he generally teach you or tell you?

LEARNER TIEN: During matches?

Q. Not just in matches but in life maybe.

LEARNER TIEN: That's a tough question. I mean just in general I think he's very encouraging. You know, he's never getting down whether I'm playing well or whether I'm playing poorly. You know, he's always just consistently just giving me good energy, a lot of support. You know everyone in my box was very supportive, you know, kind of got me through those last couple sets.

But in general, just super encouraging, super supportive. He's not someone that will be saying something to me after every point. When he feels like I need to hear something, he tells me. Besides that, a lot of encouragement.

Q. Did you watch videos of him winning the French Open?

LEARNER TIEN: I've seen a little bit of him play. There's not that much video from way back then (laughter).

Q. There's a record number of college players playing at the AO this year, so I was just wondering what your experience was to come back from USC, the advantages and disadvantages, whether you would do the same if you had your time again?

LEARNER TIEN: I was young when I was kind of making that decision, so it's tough to say looking back whether I should have gone. Or, obviously, I've done pretty well since leaving school.

Maybe it's easier to say now, Oh, you know, you should have skipped. But I was young and I didn't really mentally feel ready. Probably I'm sure tennis-wise I wasn't fully there yet either.

So I think some time to mature and just to feel like I was fully committed to playing professional tennis, I think that was probably good for me.

But, you know, everyone has their own path. There's obviously some people that have a lot of success going to college. And some that have been fortunate enough to go straight. Everyone is a unique case. I wouldn't say there's one way to go.

But looking back, I'm really not sure. It's tough to say.

Q. Have you lost your temper in a match at any level? Obviously you're very composed on the court.

LEARNER TIEN: Yeah, I mean, I almost threw my racquet today actually after, yeah, I got broken in the second. I think I doubled, like, three times that game or something. Yeah.

Q. But you didn't.

LEARNER TIEN: I didn't. I didn't. I didn't. I cocked it back, ready to go, but I didn't go through with it. I definitely have when I was younger, a decent bit when I was younger. Maybe a little more hot-headed. No, I think I do a pretty good job keeping it under wraps.