Tennis world number two and Tokyo 2020 champion Alexander Zverev shocked by qualifier Learner Tien in Acapulco

World number two and Tokyo 2020 men's tennis champion Alexander Zverev was unceremoniously dumped out of the ATP Tour Mexican Open in the round of 16 on Wednesday (26 February) in an upset, going out in straight sets to a teenaged opponent.

Learner Tien from the USA, aged just 19, needed just an hour and 28 minutes to beat Zverev, the German top seed in the tournament in Acapulco, 6–3 6–4.

The last US man this young to beat a player in the top three of the world rankings was Andy Roddick, who was in his first full season on tour when he beat then-number-one Gustavo Kuerten in 2001 just weeks before he turned 19.

Tien, the runner-up to João Fonseca at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals, plays Paris 2024 mixed doubles gold medallist Tomáš Macháč of Czechia in the quarter-finals.

Macháč, the eighth seed, is the highest-ranked player left in the tournament, with Canada's ninth-seeded Denis Shapovalov the only other seed remaining.

"To come through feels great," Tien said, according to BBC Sport. "I think just focusing on what I can control and keeping my cool as best as I can has really taken me a long way."

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