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Learner Tien, 17, will compete in the 2023 US Open after clinching the men's singles title at the USTA 18s' National Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for the second time in a row.
Tien, the top seed in the tournament from Irvine, California, defeated No. 10 seed Trevor Svajda, a 17-year-old from San Diego, California, in the final in straight sets, 6-0, 6-4, 6-4. In the process, Tien secured a wildcard to enter the main draw of the 2023 US Open for the second year in a row.
Before Tien, Trevor Svajda's older brother Zachary Svajda won the boys’ 18s singles title in 2019 and 2021. Before that, Jack Sock was the most recent player to win back-to-back 18s singles titles in 2010 and 2011.
At the 2022 US Open, Learner Tien made his Grand Slam debut and played No. 32 seed Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia. While the then 16-year-old took the first set off Kecmanovic, he eventually fell in four sets, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.
Tien has announced plans to turn pro and not return to the University of South California, where he played for a semester. He won his first title as a professional in June, clinching the USTA Pro Circuit M15 event in his hometown.
Trevor Svajda has received a wildcard for the qualifying rounds in New York after reaching the final at the USTA 18s' National Championships.
Here are other players who have received the men's main draw wildcard for US Open 2023
In addition to Learner Tien, organizers of the US Open have announced the seven other players who have also received a wildcard to enter the main draw. Topping the list is veteran American John Isner, currently ranked World No. 106, who will continue his streak of not missing a main draw in New York since his debut in 2007. The 38-year-old's best performance at the competition has been a couple of quarterfinals in 2011 and 2018.
Three wildcards have been awarded to rising American teenagers, Alex Michelsen, Ethan Quinn, and, as mentioned earlier, Learner Tien. Michelsen, 18, gained recognition in the tennis community after reaching his first final on the ATP tour at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport in July.
Other Americans to be given wildcards are Steven Johnson, the US Open Wild Card Challenge winner, and Michael Mmoh, who reached the third round of the 2023 Australian Open. Rounding up the list are Rinky Hijikata of Australia and Benjamin Bonzi of France, who were given special entry as part of the United States Tennis Association's agreement with Tennis Australia and the French Tennis Federation.
