Fresh off a commanding victory over former World No. 8 Cameron Norrie, American qualifier Learner Tien has advanced to the second round at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC. Tien secured his win over Norrie in one hour and 52 minutes, converting five break points and winning 65% of his second-serve return points.

On Wednesday night, the 19-year-old Irvine native pulled off the biggest win of his career, stunning World No. 2 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4. Using his crafty left-handed game and remarkable consistency, Tien forced the tournament’s top seed into uncharacteristic errors, including a missed routine overhead at 3-4 in the first set. He then rattled off five consecutive games from 1-4 down in the second set to clinch the one-hour, 28-minute victory.

“I just went out there and tried to control my side of the court,” said Tien, now into his second tour-level quarterfinal. “Obviously, I knew it was going to be a tough match. To come through feels great… I think just focusing on what I can control and keeping my cool as best as I can has really taken me a long way.”

Tien is the youngest American man to defeat a Top 3 player since Andy Roddick in 2001. His stellar run has propelled him to No. 68 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

His recent success extends beyond Acapulco—Tien was a finalist at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in December, qualified for the Australian Open, and made a breakthrough fourth-round run by upsetting former finalist Daniil Medvedev. That performance earned him a Top 100 debut.

Tien shows no signs of slowing down as he prepares to face eighth seed Tomas Machac in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. The Czech, ranked No. 25, defeated Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 7-6(3), 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals.

Southern California Strong in Acapulco

Marcos Giron of Thousand Oaks continues his solid form, winning four of his last six matches. Before Acapulco, he reached the quarterfinals in Delray Beach, where he fell to Miomir Kecmanovic after taking the first set 6-2. Making his fourth Acapulco appearance, Giron won his opening-round match against Australia’s Adam Walton, 7-6(4), 6-2. He was set to face No. 3 seed and fellow American Tommy Paul in the second round, who typically does very well at this venue, but a wave of stomach illness sweeping through the tournament forced Paul to withdraw.

Giron is set to face No. 9 seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the quarterfinals after Shapovalov secured a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Aliso Viejo’s Alex Michelsen in the Round of 16. The two have met twice before, with Giron holding a 2-0 advantage in their head-to-head record.

Wednesday’s stomach woes wreaked havoc on the ATP 500 draw, leading to a string of withdrawals. Second seed Casper Ruud and third seed Tommy Paul both handed walkovers due to illness, while fourth seed Holger Rune retired early in his match against San Diego’s Brandon Nakashima, citing food poisoning.

Nakashima, fresh off his first ATP doubles title in Delray Beach alongside Miomir Kecmanovic, edged out France’s Benjamin Bonzi in the opening round, 7-6(6), 7-5. He was poised for a showdown against Rune, whom he had defeated in their three previous meetings—including a straight-sets win at the US Open. However, Rune retired just three games into the match.

“Furious and so sad at the same time,” Rune posted on X. “Had food poisoning and was unable to play today. One of my favorite places is Mexico and I love this tournament @AbiertoTelcel. Absolutely not the way I wanted it to end.”

Nakashima will face Belgium’s David Goffin in the quarterfinals after Goffin stunned No. 5 seed Ben Shelton 7-6(3), 6-3. The 34-year-old snapped a seven-match losing streak with a sharp performance, capitalizing on Shelton’s 33 unforced errors while hitting 16 winners at the net. Goffin controlled the second set with a double break and sealed the win with a crisp backhand crosscourt shot, booking his spot in the quarters.

Despite the illness-related shakeup, Southern California remains well-represented in the quarterfinals. With Tien, Giron, and Nakashima still in contention, can a Team SoCal member go all the way?

WTA Action Heating Up

While Southern California’s men are making waves in Acapulco, Ena Shibahara is carving out her own path on the women’s tour. The Rancho Palos Verdes native battled past Australia’s Kimberly Birrell 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 on Wednesday night to reach her first WTA singles quarterfinal at the Austin Open, a WTA 250 event. Next, she’ll face another Australian, wildcard Ajla Tomljanovic, for a shot at the semifinals.

Shibahara’s journey to this milestone has been anything but conventional. A proven force in doubles—winning Roland Garros mixed doubles in 2022 and reaching as high as No. 4 in the WTA doubles rankings—she made the bold decision at the end of 2023 to shift her focus to singles. With a doubles résumé that includes major titles and deep Slam runs, many were surprised when she announced her plan to start from scratch in singles, dropping down to ITF events to rebuild her ranking.

“I started thinking, ‘It’s now or never, and I’m only getting older,’” Shibahara shared. “It was definitely hard to step away from doubles, but I had so much support for my decision to focus on singles. No regrets!”

Bringing the versatility and court awareness honed through doubles, Shibahara entered 2024 with modest singles ambitions. Yet, she quickly found her footing, compiling a 21-5 record across her first six tournaments and capturing her first singles title at a W35 event in Spring, Texas, where she defeated rising American and fellow Southern Californian, Iva Jovic, in the final.

Her progress was on full display last summer in New York, where the UCLA alum battled through two three-setters in four days to qualify for her first Grand Slam singles main draw. Once there, she showcased her improved movement and resilience, edging former world No. 45 Daria Saville in a decisive match tiebreak.

Less than two years into this transition, the 27-year-old is proving she belongs. In the opening round in Austin, she took down Slovenian qualifier Kaja Juvan 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Now ranked No. 148 in singles, Shibahara is steadily climbing the ranks, and Japan’s 2024 Billie Jean King Cup captain Ai Sugiyama believes she has the potential to crack the Top 20.

Her rapid progress is a testament to her adaptability, mental toughness, and all-court skills honed from years of high-level doubles play. As she steps into her first WTA quarterfinal, one thing is clear—Shibahara’s singles journey is just getting started.

Ramona’s Jessica Failla, who made her Grand Slam debut in women’s doubles last summer, has established herself as a rising force on the WTA Tour. The Pepperdine alum has already captured five tour-level doubles titles and is aiming to add another to her growing collection.  

Competing at the ATX Open in Austin, Failla, currently ranked World No. 176 in doubles and her partner Jessie Aney, currently at No. 118, delivered a strong performance in the round of 16. The duo powered past Tara Moore and Carmen Corley, securing a 7-6(3), 6-2 victory to book their spot in the quarterfinals where they will face Isabelle Haverlag and Alicja Rosolska.

Los Angeles native and USC alum Sabrina Santamaria, who captured two WTA 125 doubles titles last year, is back in action in Mérida, Mexico. Teaming up with Qianhui Tang, she battled through a tough opening match against Maria Lourdes Carle and Renata Zarazua, rallying for a 2-6, 6-4, 10-7 victory to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. Next up, Santamaria and Tang will take on the tournament’s No. 2 seeds, Ellen Perez and Alexandra Panova, as they look to continue their strong run.

In Other ATP News

Coronado’s Ryan Seggerman has rapidly made a name for himself in doubles over the past two years, climbing the ATP rankings with impressive consistency. The San Diego native reached a career-high ATP doubles ranking of No. 76 in October 2024 and also achieved a singles ranking of No. 348 in August 2024.

After dominating the 2023 SoCal Pro Series alongside fellow San Diegan Patrik Trhac, Seggerman racked up 10 doubles titles that year—eight on the ITF circuit and two at the ATP Challenger level. His momentum continued into 2024, where he claimed seven more Challenger titles, including back-to-back Southern California Open victories. Already in 2025, he has added another trophy to his collection, winning the Canberra Challenger 125.

Currently competing in Santiago, Chile, Seggerman and his Australian partner John-Patrick Smith have battled their way into the semifinals. They secured a tight quarterfinal victory over Francisco Cabral and UCLA alum Jean-Julien Rojer, edging out two tiebreak sets, 7-6(3), 7-6(5). In their opening match, they powered past Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo with a commanding 6-2, 6-4 win. The duo now awaits the winner of the Maximo Gonzalez/Andres Molteni vs. Tomas Barrios Vera/Ignacio Buse quarterfinal as they look to continue their run.

Down in sunny San Diego, the ATP Challenger 100 event at the San Diego Open has been full of surprises—including some standout performances from Southern California natives. Among them is 18-year-old Trevor Svajda, who has made the most of his wild card entry. After edging out Jack Pinnington Jones 6-3, 7-6(4) in the opening round, he delivered an impressive 6-3, 6-3 upset over No. 7 seed and Southern California Open champion Mitchell Krueger in the round of 16. Up next, Svajda will face UCLA alum and No. 4 seed Mackie McDonald for a place in the semifinals. McDonald, who started his campaign with a 6-3, 6-3 win over fellow Bruin Karue Sell, followed it up with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Matteo Gigante.  

Several other Southern California players have also been in action in the singles main draw, including Stefan Dostanic, Zach Svajda, Rohan Murali, Govind Nanda, and Tristan Boyer. In doubles, three teams featuring SoCal natives have advanced to the quarterfinals. San Diego’s Patrik Trhac and Reese Stalder, the tournament’s No. 1 seeds, cruised past Bruno Kuzuhara and Coleman Wong 6-4, 6-0 to set up a clash with Jody Maginley and Alfredo Perez. Wild card duo Noah Zamora (San Diego) and Juan Jose Bianchi also impressed, defeating the Svajda brothers, Zach and Trevor, 6-0, 7-6(3), 10-5. They’ll now take on Joshua Paris and Jack Pinnington Jones. Meanwhile, Altadena’s Tristan Boyer has joined forces with SoCal Pro Series veteran Jamie Vance. The pair battled through a dramatic first-round match, edging Alex Bolt and Li Tu 6-3, 4-6, 13-11. Their next challenge? A quarterfinal showdown against No. 2 seeds George Goldhoff and Trey Hilderbrand.