Vietnamese youth star Thắng chóng vánh sao, Sinner 'speed skates' into Indian Wells 2026 semifinals

Jannik Sinner "put on speed skates" to swiftly pass Learner Tien in a dominant performance at the Indian Wells Masters 2026 and advance to the semifinals.

The world's number 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings demonstrated his elite form with an assertive playing style, securing a 6-1, 6-2 victory over the reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion.

Sinner, who had just endured two tense tie-breaks to overcome Joao Fonseca in the previous round, clearly did not want to be drawn into another physically draining match. Instead, the Italian player attacked proactively from the start, and his high-speed gameplay left the 20-year-old opponent unable to respond.

“Clearly, prior matchup experience helps you somewhat,” Sinner shared. He also defeated Tien in two sets during the Beijing final last October. “But more importantly, we prepared as best as possible. He is a very talented player and will certainly appear on big stages like this many more times. I am satisfied with how I responded during the match. He started very strongly, especially early on, so I tried to stay calm. This was an important match for me.”

The hope for Tien’s first-ever victory over Sinner was quickly dashed from the outset. The left-handed American player committed a double fault in the second game, thereby “gifting” Sinner an early break. From that point, Sinner almost completely controlled the match. He sealed the win after 66 minutes by successfully converting four out of five break-point opportunities, according to ATP statistics.

The 24-year-old Italian player will face fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, competing for his first-ever Indian Wells final berth.

Before facing Sinner, Tien had an impressive journey, reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal after two grueling three-set victories over Ben Shelton and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. However, as Thursday’s match progressed into the latter half of the second set, the young American player seemed to struggle physically. He could not counter Sinner’s powerful and precise baseline shots, while the Italian rarely faltered on his path to a ninth consecutive Masters 1000 victory.

When asked about adapting well to the hot conditions at Indian Wells, Sinner said: “We arrived here very early. Last week before the tournament was already very hot, so we trained intensively for a long period to acclimatize. Today I felt very good on court. This is definitely an aspect I am trying to improve, especially after the difficulties I faced in Australia.”

The Italian player added that his team is still focused on refining every small detail in their preparation process. “I believe these are all positive signs. There are minor aspects we need to improve, but I am satisfied with how I prepare for matches. And of course, the next match will be a very tough challenge.”

The opponent awaiting Sinner in the semifinals at the Indian Wells “Tennis Paradise” is Zverev. The German player earlier comfortably defeated Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-3. At 28, Zverev became the fifth player in history to reach the semifinals of all nine Masters 1000 events after defeating 30th seed Fils. He will enter Saturday’s semifinal aiming to end his five-match losing streak against Sinner.

In his career, Sinner has won five of the six Masters 1000 titles on hard courts, and the Indian Wells trophy is the only missing piece in the Italian player’s collection.