Jannik Sinner overtakes Learner Tien at Indian Wells | ATP Tour

match report

Sinner overtakes Tien, beats Zverev SF at Indian Wells

World number two is chasing his first title at the BNP Paribas Open

March 12, 2026

Jannik Sinner put on his speed skates and surpassed the Learner Tien in stunning fashion at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday.

The PIF ATP No. 2 player used a stunning display of tennis to defeat reigning Next Generation ATP Finals champion Tian En 6-1, 6-2. Sinner, who defeated Joao Fonseca in a two-set tie-break in the fourth round, seemed determined not to get into another melee, with his aggressive approach proving too intense for his 20-year-old opponent.

Unstoppable, unable to perform🥶@janniksin Perfectly defeated Tien 6-1, 6-2 and entered the Indian Wells semifinals! @BNPPARIBASOPEN | #tennisparadise pic.twitter.com/6UDKdx76u3

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 12, 2026

“I think it’s definitely experience. [of the matchup] “It helps you a little bit,” said Sinner, who also beat Tian An in straight sets in the Beijing final last October. “On the other hand, we tried to prepare in the best possible way. He is a very talented player. He will come here many times, but I am happy with my reaction. I felt he was very aggressive, especially at the beginning, so I tried to be restrained. Of course, it is an important game for me.”

Thien’s bid to win his opening Lexus ATP showdown against Sinner was undermined early when the American southpaw gave Sinner a break chance in the second game with a double fault. Sinner hardly looked back, winning four of his five break points in the 66-minute match, according to Infosys ATP Statistics. The 24-year-old Italian will face fourth seed Alexander Zverev for his first BNP Paribas Open Championship berth.

After defeating Ben Shelton and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets, Tenn appeared to be out of shape in the second set on Thursday to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinals. The American was unable to counter the relentless power and precision of Sinner’s groundstrokes, and the Italian rarely looked in trouble en route to his ninth consecutive Masters 1000 win.

“We came in here early,” Sinner said when asked how he coped with the heat in Indian Wells on Thursday. “It was very hot the week before the game, so we had a long training session to try to get the body used to it. I felt really good on the court today. It’s definitely an area I’m working on improving, given the issues I had in Australia.

“I do believe these are positive things, small departments that we have to improve on. I’m happy that we prepared well for the game and of course the next game will be a tough one.”

Waiting for Sinner in the semi-finals in “Tennis Paradise” is fourth seed Zverev, who earlier easily defeated Arthur Fels 6-2, 6-3. The 28-year-old Zverev became the fifth player to reach the semifinals in all nine Masters 1000 matches by defeating No. 30 seed Fiers and will end a five-match losing streak against Sinner in Saturday’s semifinals.

Sinner has won five of the six Masters 1000 titles, and the Indian Wells trophy is the only one missing from his collection. If he beats Zverev on Sunday in the California desert and goes on to lift the trophy, he will become just the third man to complete the set, after Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.