Tien rallies to shock defending champ in Delray Seaside: 'I simply stored believing'

Delray Seaside

Tien rallies to shock defending champ in Delray Seaside: ‘I simply stored believing’

High seed Fritz battles previous #NextGenATP Spaniard Jodar

February 20, 2026

Learner Tien was not prepared for his Delray Seaside Open to return to an finish.

The 20-year-old was two factors from defeat in opposition to defending champion Miomir Kecmanovic — who served for the match at 5-4 within the deciding set — however rallied for a 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(5) victory and a spot within the quarter-finals.

“I simply stored believing,” Tien mentioned in his on-court interview. “I obtained damaged on sort of a nasty sport at 4 all, however simply tried to place that behind me as greatest I may, and simply made him beat me.”

Kecmanovic confirmed no indicators of nerves when he served for the match, hammering away from the baseline and placing constant strain on the house favorite. However Tien performed nice defence, turning right into a brick wall on the most important second.

As soon as the reigning Subsequent Gen ATP Finals champion retrieved the break, he was capable of surge to the end line and take a 2-1 lead within the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head collection.

“I obtained somewhat fortunate. I feel luck at all times performs somewhat little bit of a task,” Tien mentioned. “However I feel simply preventing, simply staying in there each level, and actually making him shut me out, I feel [that] simply paid off.”

Tien is recent off a run to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, the place he beat a former No. 1 participant within the PIF ATP Rankings, Daniil Medvedev, and pushed Alexander Zverev to a fourth-set tie-break. The lefty will subsequent tackle Frances Tiafoe, who received the primary ATP Tour title of his profession in Delray Seaside in 2018.

“I performed him within the first spherical of the [US] Open a number of years in the past. Clearly he is a very totally different participant,” Tiafoe mentioned. “I am excited to rise up and play him. It is humorous how issues flip. Now I am the underdog in that match, so I am joyful to get on the market and play in opposition to him.”

The eighth-seeded Tiafoe clawed previous qualifier Zachary Svajda 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 to achieve his first quarter-final since July of final 12 months.

“I am simply joyful to be competing. It feels good competing,” Tiafoe mentioned. “It is good to place some matches collectively. Completely satisfied I get to play one other match tomorrow. It is going to be one other powerful opponent, so excited to get on the market and compete.”

High seed Taylor Fritz additionally battled by a troublesome take a look at, eliminating #NextGenATP Spaniard Rafael Jodar 7-6(4), 6-4 within the final match of the day. The house favorite hit 15 aces and saved two of the three break factors he confronted, in line with Infosys ATP Stats.

Fritz has proven good kind since returning to the US, advancing to the Dallas semi-finals final week. The 2023 and 2024 Delray Seaside champion will proceed his title chase in opposition to shut pal Tommy Paul, a 7-6(11), 6-3 winner in opposition to fortunate loser Adam Walton.

Watch prolonged highlights from Thursday’s motion in Delray Seaside: