ATP Tour
Tien toughs out Shelton upset in Indian Wells
Zverev holds off Nakashima for R4 spot in California
March 08, 2026
ATP Tour
Learner Tien overcomes Ben Shelton on Sunday at the BNP Paribas Open.
By Andy West
Learner Tien hung tough to triumph in an absorbing all-American, all-lefty clash on Sunday afternoon at the BNP Paribas Open.
The 20-year-old overcame World No. 8 Ben Shelton 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 to reach the fourth round at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells for the first time. Tien was taking on one of the biggest servers in the game in Shelton, but the Californian’s own performance from the line proved decisive: He fired 15 aces to Shelton’s eight and won 82 per cent (58/71) of points behind his first serve overall, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Unlocking the last 16 🔓
Learner Tien remains unblemished in Indian Wells after a statement victory over Shelton. @BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/kY6fChCNM2
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 8, 2026
Shelton appeared to still be feeling the effects of the illness that hampered him in his opening win against Reilly Opelka, but he dug deep in typically committed fashion to ensure an engrossing encounter on the Indian Wells Tennis Garden’s Stadium Court. Yet the Top 10 star seemed to run out of energy down the final stretch, particularly after Tien notched what proved to be the only break of the deciding set in the sixth game.
“it’s great. It’s great,” said Tien after booking a last-16 spot at his home Masters 1000 event. “I just want to say, Ben came out not feeling 100 per cent. I don’t think he’s been feeling great all week, but he’s an amazing competitor and he came out and gave it his all. So I just want to say, huge props to him.
“I’m super happy to be in the fourth round. Especially here, it’s extra special, and I have doubles this afternoon [with Daniil Medvedev], so I’m excited.”
With his two-hour, 10-minute triumph, Tien improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Shelton, having also defeated his countryman on the grass of Mallorca last year. The reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Tien is up four spots to No. 23 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings after reaching the fourth round in Indian Wells, where he will take on 12th seed Jakub Mensik or 18th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
In the opening match of the day in California, Alexander Zverev pulled through a stern test from Brandon Nakashima to become the first man to reach 100 Masters 1000 match wins this decade.
The fourth-seeded Zverev prevailed 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-4 to improve to 6-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Nakashima. The 28-year-old German carved out a decisive break in the final game of the match to set a fourth-round meeting with 15th seed Flavio Cobolli or 21st seed Frances Tiafoe.
A two-time quarter-finalist in Indian Wells, Zverev can complete the set of semi-final appearances at all nine Masters 1000 events by reaching the last four in the California desert.