Alexander Zverev and Learner Tien face each other in the first round of the French Open on Monday, three months after the teenager shocked the world No. 3 in Acapulco.
The German has endured an extended run of disappointing results as he enters the season's second Grand Slam, giving Tien hope for an upset against a player who has not lost a round-one contest at this event since 2017.
Match preview
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While Zverev, a previous runner-up in Paris and semi-finalist for three consecutive years before improving to the final 12 months ago, should be considered a leading contender in Paris this year, the 28-year-old's results since the Australian Open leave much to be desired.
Since being defeated by Jannik Sinner Down Under, the 23-time ATP Tour champion has struggled to find a consistent rhythm, reflected in a series of disappointments in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome and recently Hamburg, where the German No. 1 lost to Frenchman Alexandre Muller in two hours and 40 minutes.
Although a successful run on the clay courts of Munich last month could provide a glimmer of hope, that winning stretch at home remains unusual for the 28-year-old, who subsequently failed to progress past the last 16 in Madrid and could only reach the quarter-finals in Rome, where he could not defend the Masters title he won 12 months ago.
After reaching three consecutive semi-finals in 2021, 2022 and 2023, Zverev advanced to his first final in the 2024 tournament before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets.
Back in the French capital for the first time, the three-time Grand Slam finalist aims to avoid a surprising tournament-opening loss against his debuting opponent.
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While Tien is making his main draw debut in Paris, he has recent experience beating his German opponent, albeit in a best-of-three event on the hard courts of Acapulco.
The 19-year-old stunned the then world No. 2 to secure a quarter-final spot at the expense of the event's top seed in February, although the American teenager subsequently lost in the next round to Tomas Machac.
Nonetheless, Tien has already demonstrated his ability against top-10 players this year, having shocked Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling five-set encounter at the Australian Open before securing another top-10 victory in February against the man he faces in Paris.
The teenager stands at 14-12 in qualifying and main draws ahead of another match with Zverev, but recent results have been rather disappointing.
With a 1-5 record in his last six matches preceding the second major of 2025, the 19-year-old lefty faces an uphill battle to elevate his game against one of the men's tour's finest clay-court players.
Head To Head
Acapulco (2025) - Round of 16: Tien 6-3 6-4
Tien not only shocked Zverev in their only previous meeting on the ATP Tour, but the teenager also defeated the 23-time tour-level champion in straight sets.
That victory marked consecutive wins over top-10 players, and the American star aims for a third straight victory over such opponents to improve a current 2-1 record against the elite.
While Zverev lost to Tien in Acapulco, that defeat remains the German player's only setback against left-handed opponents in the past 52 weeks, as an 11-1 record underlines the 28-year-old's competence against those players.
We say: Zverev to win in three sets
Although Tien undoubtedly possesses power and could intermittently trouble the German star, Zverev is expected to avoid a shocking tournament-opening loss at Roland Garros since 2017.
With the 19-year-old also entering the second Slam of 2025 with a 1-5 record across various clay events, the world No. 3 should capitalise on the teenager's lack of rhythm and momentum on the dirt ahead of his French Open debut.
