Learner Tien claimed his second career ATP title by rallying past Mariano Navone 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the Geneva Open final on Saturday.
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The 20-year-old American found himself outmuscled in the opening set as Navone imposed his heavy baseline game. Tien responded with sharper shot selection in the second set, leveling the match before producing a decisive late break in the decider to seal victory after roughly two and a half hours.
Seeded fourth and ranked No. 19 in the world, Tien's run to the title was anything but straightforward. He dispatched 2021 Roland Garros finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, close friend Alex Michelsen, and second seed Alexander Bublik before taking down Navone in the championship match.
The storyline carries a poetic twist. Tien's coach, Michael Chang, became the youngest French Open champion in history at age 17 in 1989, the same year Marc Rosset won Geneva at 18. Thirty-seven years later, Chang's protégé becomes the youngest Geneva champion since Rosset, forging his own chapter in American clay-court tennis history.
The timing could not be better. Tien heads straight to Roland Garros, where he will face Cristian Garín in the opening round. Riding a wave of confidence from his Geneva triumph, the left-handed American arrives in Paris with legitimate ambitions on the red clay.
