Learner Tien plays giant-killer again, taking down No. 8 Ben Shelton

American Learner Tien is quickly cementing himself as one of the top American players at Indian Wells and its his ability to play his best against the best players that really stands out.

On Sunday, the 20-year-old Irvine native, who is seeded 25th at the BNP Paribas Open, took down eighth-seeded and fellow left-handed American Ben Shelton, 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3.

The win moves Tien to a remarkable 6-5 in his career against top-10 players. That’s the fourth best winning percentage among active players (minimum 10 such matches), behind only the big three of Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.

After the match, Tien said that he tends to not to think about the ranking of his opponent but instead just focus on the match at hand.

“Whether I’m a favorite or whether I’m an underdog, I go out, and I don’t really think about it,” he said. “I think once the match starts, like I said, you’re just out there trying to adapt to what’s happening. Rankings and previous matches go out the window. You’re just trying to work through the current match. Whether I’m a favorite or whether I’m not, I just go out there and I just try to compete as hard as I can.”

One thing that Tien employs is a high tennis IQ. He drew rave reviews from his doubles partner, Daniil Medvedev. Tien has beaten Medvedev in the last two Australian Opens.

“Yeah, I played him four times now, and in a way every match was different, but the way he manages to control the court, to control the point to his favor is really impressive,” Medvedev said Saturday night after his opening-match win. “I really like his game and I’m kind of hoping he can do well in his career.”

Sunday’s match was tight, despite Shelton’s visible discomfort. Shelton was not 100 percent in the match, playing through illness. It was evident in his body language and facial expressions, but he gutted it out and Tien was impressed by his opponent’s fortitude.

Tien won the first set in a tiebreaker, lost the second and then finally broke Shelton the sixth game of the third set. From there it seemed academic as Shelton was not getting any points off of Tien’s serve.

Tien now becomes the youngest American man to make it to the fourth round in Indian Wells since Ryan Harrison in 2011. He and Shelton are the third- and first-ranked left-handed players on the tour. This tournament has been good to lefties. with Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Rafael Nadal among its relatively recent winners.

Next up for Tien is a matchup with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who beat Jakub Mensik, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, on Sunday. Bad news for Tien is that Davidovich Fokina is not in the top 10; he’s the No. 18 seed.

Tien said he did feel at home on Stadium 1, a place where he used to come and watch tennis as a kid.

“It means a lot,” he said. “The court I played on today, I remember exactly where I was sitting in that same stadium when I was a kid. So, it’s really cool. It’s really a full-circle moment for me. Just really special to play here and especially to win here.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Learner Tien defeated Blake Shelton at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells