OMNIUM BANQUE NATIONALE

August 9, 2026

Learner Tien

Mixed Zone

L. TIEN/T. Tirante

6-4, 6-4

LEARNER TIEN: Happy with the level I'm playing at. I've done a great job of slightly improving, match by match, king of fine-tuning little things as the week has gone on. And match by match I'm feeling a little better, more comfortable, and I'm happy with how I'm playing.

Q. What's the biggest growth you've seen from somebody who wasn't kind of happy with where his level was? What areas have you seen you level improve?

LEARNER TIEN: For me I think repetition is really big. Getting a lot of confidence just going out there, hitting balls. Just getting a couple extra reps on certain shots that don't feel great, and I think that's overall that's what I've been able to do this week, and it's really helped me.

Q. This seems to be the younger generation, I would call it. A lot of kids that are from 19, 20, 23 are making it to the meat of the tournament. What is it about the younger players that are making splashes?

LEARNER TIEN: I think all the younger guys are playing with a lot of confidence. I think we're playing free against the older guys. I think they want to prove themselves.

I think it's great for the sport. I think all the younger guys are also pushing each other. You know one guy has a great week and another guy kind of wants to match that and so on. So I think it's great.

Q. Learner, you had such a fast rise up the rankings in your first full year on tour. I wonder how you're kind of managing year two. Now that we're more than halfway through it, how do you feel like you're preparing differently for opponents and opponents are preparing differently for you?

LEARNER TIEN: I think definitely scouting reports are more detailed on me. You know, I've been around a little longer where people kind of know my game. But I think it's been good for me to have to improve and kind of adapt to people not being so caught off guard by how I play.

I think it's kind of exposed a few things, maybe, that I feel like I need to work on, and I think it's been great for my game.

Q. What about off court? Are you getting used to the travel and the pace and everything? It's a crazy sport.

LEARNER TIEN: Yeah, for sure. I think I'm a bit more used to being away from home, the week-to-week travel, the wins and losses, I think it's all gotten a lot more comfortable.

Q. What's your thinking on the court when you have long rallies as you had today?

LEARNER TIEN: Just try not to miss first, I guess. You know, these rallies, I think it's an investment and just sending a message to the other guy that you're willing to play these long rallies, and a lot of the times it really pays off.

Q. Do you sometimes feel energy less or are you always ready for the next one?

LEARNER TIEN: Yeah. I think once the match starts, once you go on the court, however you feel kind of goes out the window. You just kind of accept whatever you feel, and that's normal.

I don't really think about how I feel when I go on court. I just try to think about how I'm going to get through the match.

Q. I started noticing some of the guys are (inaudible). You're not the unknown anymore.

LEARNER TIEN: I would say this year I've played -- or not even this year, but late in the year last year and a bit this year I've started playing guys the second and third time around. So I think seeing the adjustments they've made from the first, second time we've played, that's probably where it stuck out the most.

Obviously a lot more tape on me, a lot more matches for people to go back and watch. So, like I said, I think it's been great for my game to keep constantly evolving and developing.

Q. Is there one that comes to mind, like a rematch or second or third time around, that kind of stuck with you like, oh, okay, I see what's happening here?

LEARNER TIEN: Sorry. I'm kind of blanking. I know for sure there were some matches where I really thought -- maybe like even playing like Zverev, playing in the French last year and Australia this year, I noticed the difference.

But there's more. I'm kind of blanking on it.

Q. The ball quality seems like many players find that they are different from the grass court season. How are they so different?

LEARNER TIEN: The balls?

Q. Yeah.

LEARNER TIEN: I haven't thought about the balls. Maybe they're flying a little bit more.

I felt like in D.C. and here they were flying a little bit more. I wasn't sure if I needed to adjust my string tension a little bit or it was just the heat that was making balls fly a bit more.

I think it's partially a little bit of both. But I haven't thought of it that much. Honestly, I've kind of chalked it up to more just the conditions more than the balls.

Q. You will play against Daniel Merida in the next round, in the quarterfinals. What do you expect?

LEARNER TIEN: I haven't seen too much of him play. I know he's been playing some great tennis. I know he's playing with a lot of confidence, for sure. And I saw a little bit of his match earlier today. Looks like he's playing very well. So I'll have to take a look.

Q. What kind of confidence does this run give you with the Open a few weeks away? Getting to the quarterfinals, and who knows what happens from here, what kind of confidence does it give you?

LEARNER TIEN: It's definitely a confidence boost. I take what I can from it. The tournament is not over yet. We'll see how it goes.

I feel like from wins and losses I'm able to take positives and negatives, and I think all these tournaments are just the lead-up to the one big event that you want to peak at.

Q. Sorry if you were already asked this, but what's it like being a part of this tournament where you're seeing a lot of teenagers make it far? Feels like a youth movement a little bit.

LEARNER TIEN: I think it's cool. I think all the young guys doing well is great. I think it's great for the sport. I think all the young guys are doing a good job of pushing each other and motivating each other.

You know, one guy does well and all the other guys want to catch him. And it's a constant cycle and I think it's great.