American youngster Learner Tien pulled off a massive upset over eighth seed Ben Shelton to reach the third round of the Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells.
Following the victory, Coco Gauff’s former coach and ex-World No. 4 Brad Gilbert shared his candid assessment of the youngster’s performance that helped him topple the higher-ranked American.
Coco Gauff’s Former Coach Brad Gilbert Highlights Learner Tien’s ‘Strong Effort’ After Win Over Ben Shelton at Indian Wells
Shelton entered Indian Wells as a strong contender, having recently clinched the title at the Dallas Open. He had also reached the quarterfinals of both the Australian Open and the ASB Classic earlier this season. The 23-year-old advanced to the second round of the BNP Paribas Open after defeating Reilly Opelka in three sets.
Meanwhile, Tien has often carried a surprise element in his game. The American reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this season and later impressed with a semifinal run at the Delray Beach Open. He entered the contest against Shelton after dispatching Adam Walton in straight sets.
Shelton appeared slightly out of rhythm, perhaps because of the illness that troubled him during his opening-round win over Opelka. Tien, meanwhile, looked composed against one of the game’s biggest servers and ultimately turned the match in his favor with an impressive showing from the line.
The 20-year-old Tien struck 15 aces to Shelton’s eight and was dominant on his first serve, winning 82% (58 of 71) of points. Despite facing some resistance from the 23-year-old, Tien secured an impressive 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-3 win to reach the third round of the Masters 1000 event.
Among those watching was Gauff’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, who later shared his thoughts on Tien’s performance on X. Gilbert was particularly impressed that Tien managed to strike more aces than Shelton despite the tricky serving conditions at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
“strong 💪 effort from Fast 💨 Learner taking out Gimme Shelton, very surprising stat LT with 15 aces to 8 for Ben in tricky conditions @Tennis,” he wrote.
strong 💪 effort from Fast 💨 Learner taking out Gimme Shelton, very surprising stat LT with 15 aces to 8 for Ben in tricky conditions @Tennis
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) March 8, 2026
With the victory, Tien improved to 2-0 in his head-to-head against the 2025 Canadian Open champion.
The result also boosted Tien’s standing in the ATP Live Rankings, lifting him four places to No. 23. He will next face 18th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the fourth round at the Indian Wells Masters and is favored with 58% chances to proceed further, according to PFSN’s Tennis Simulator.
