Learner Tien

Press Conference

L. TIEN/A. Davidovich Fokina

4-6, 6-1, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Learner, congratulations. You looked really happy at the end of the match. Just what did it take today to get through that one?

LEARNER TIEN: Super-tough match. Didn't really feel super great coming out. Honestly, I felt like my energy levels were a bit low, but thought I was doing a great job just staying around and then picking it up in the third, and just happy to get through.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Can you talk about the two match points you saved? The forehand on the first one was a great shot. Also, what was your mindset going into the tiebreaker?

LEARNER TIEN: Yeah, I mean, obviously two tight points, both match points, I mean, first one was a long rally. I don't actually know how I hit that last shot. It was maybe a little bit lucky. I wasn't trying to hit it that well. I was trying to get it down, but I wasn't trying to hit that good of a shot. So maybe a little bit lucky there. And then I was fortunate to hit a good serve on the second one.

Honestly, after saving match points going into the tiebreak, just felt like I was playing with house money, almost, and just loose, really had nothing to lose.

Q. Is it a special feeling to come back in a match when your energy isn't great and you saved match points? Can you assess at this point kind of where you have come between now and the last time you played him?

LEARNER TIEN: For sure. I think winning a match, you know, no matter how it comes, is always a great feeling. I think coming back from match points, even better.

Just happy to get through. Again, you know, not a lot of matches you feel 100% or like you're playing a 10-out-of-10 match. I'm always happy to get through the matches where I'm not feeling amazing.

There were still moments in the match I thought I played very, very well, but there were some moments where I just kind of had these lapses and played maybe a few bad points.

But, yeah, sorry, I don't remember the second half of your question.

Q. Compare D.C. to today, just kind of where you are?

LEARNER TIEN: Yeah, I think in general I have just gotten a lot better. I think I have a lot more belief, stepping on the court. I think I have a lot more experience playing these better players. I just have a lot more belief in myself to win these matches. I just think it shows in how I'm playing.

Q. It sounds very easy when you say, Oh, then I was able to pick it up. Is there something that just happens, you get a feeling, Okay, I'm rolling now, or is there something you can actively do to provoke that?

LEARNER TIEN: I mean, if it was something that I was always able to flip a switch, I wouldn't have come out maybe so flat. But I think just trying to hang around and give myself a shot, give myself time to maybe find that second gear, I think is always important.

I mean, if you're down a set and double break, by the time you kind of find yourself, I mean, it won't really make a difference.

So I think I just did a good job of hanging around. Don't really know what it was today. Just throughout the day during my warm-up, just felt a little bit shot. I feel like just mentally I was in and out, spacing out a little bit, didn't really feel, like, fully there during the match.

Just felt like, for the first half of the match, I felt just a little down energy-wise, and my thoughts were just kind of everywhere.

Don't know how I really managed to get it together, but happy I did.

Q. When you're out on that court, do you ever, like, think back to where you sat when you were a kid coming here, or does that ever enter your mind when you're out there playing?

LEARNER TIEN: For sure. I think some of these changeovers in tight moments when I'm losing, I can look over to where I was sitting as a kid, and it just makes me realize just how special it is to be playing on that court.

This tournament in general, I think just it's a childhood dream just to come out and play here. So wins are just a bonus. Just feels great to be out in the court with the crowd and the atmosphere. It's great.

Q. Your potential opponents, what's your feeling about facing Sinner or Fonseca?

LEARNER TIEN: Tough match either way. Both are great ball strikers. Both can really just take the racquet out of your hand when they're playing their best.

I think they are playing right now. I think it's on serve. Yeah, going to be a really tough match either way.

Q. Are you going to watch the match?

LEARNER TIEN: Depends how much media I have to do after this (smiling).

Q. When you played Zverev in Australia, he said after, he felt your ability to redirect down the line on both sides and that you were dangerous from anywhere on the court. What do you think when you're playing your best are your biggest weapons?

LEARNER TIEN: I think when I'm at my best, I feel like I'm not making that many mistakes. I feel like, yeah, my patterns I'm playing are a bit more unpredictable. I think that I'm really placing the shots kind of where I want to put them.

I think, you know, shot selection is like a big part of my game. When I'm playing my best, I think that I'm just hitting my spots well and just executing what I'm trying to do.