Key Takeaways
- Learner Tien defeated Flavio Cobolli in match 5 at the 2026 Laver Cup in London, calling the decisive third-set match tiebreak “just a kind of a dog fight in the third”.
- Team World captain Andre Agassi praised Tien’s mental strength, stating that “knowing exactly what he brings to the table when he steps on a tennis court and he’s proven it again at such a young age is remarkable”.
- Tien emphasized the volatile nature of the event’s scoring format, pointing out that “no score line is really safe” and matches can swing rapidly.
Learner Tien battles past Flavio Cobolli to boost Team World
Learner Tien got Team World off to a strong start on day 2 at the Laver Cup in London, surviving a testing encounter against Flavio Cobolli in match 5. After seizing early momentum, the young American had to regroup after Cobolli altered the dynamic of the contest in the second set, eventually holding his nerve in a tense 10-point match tiebreak.
Reflecting on the ebb and flow of the contest, Tien noted how his opponent adjusted tactics after a one-sided opening set. “I thought I started off well. I don’t think he started off that great, but I got off to a good start and he definitely changed things up a bit in the second,” Tien explained. “Started taking a little more pace off the ball, started not giving me as much to work with. And I was struggling a bit with that, but I just thought I recovered well for the third set and it was just a kind of a dog fight in the third, but I’m happy to get through it.”
Andre Agassi praises youngster’s composure in clutch moments
Sitting alongside Tien in the post-match press conference, Team World captain Andre Agassi expressed his admiration for how the young talent dealt with Cobolli’s tactical shift. Agassi stated that the outcome “went perfect” and highlighted the youngster’s ability to reset under pressure.
“Lerner set the tone early,” Agassi said. “There’s one thing the whole team’s been very relaxed about is knowing exactly what he brings to the table when he steps on a tennis court and he’s proven it again at such a young age is remarkable, actually.”
Agassi broke down how the conditions impacted the match once Cobolli adjusted his game plan. “In the first set, definitely Kubler got off to a slower start. He was trying to do damage to Lerner and Lerner was absorbing and controlling most of the action,” Agassi observed. “Second set, balls got heavier and chewed up and harder to penetrate, so he backed off that, started rolling it up. Lerner just learned today because he went from trying to take unnecessary risk on that to just digging in when it mattered most and counting on the intangible in tennis, which is your persistence and your ability to stay present, to stay focused and use your mind.”
Lessons from the bench and managing tiebreak pressure
Tien explained that watching the opening day of action from the bench reinforced the volatile nature of the Laver Cup match format, where matches can pivot in an instant.
“I think the biggest thing is just knowing that no score line is really safe,” Tien remarked. “Most of the score lines that you’re going to be playing through are, you’re still in the match no matter what the score is and the matches can just turn very fast.”
Heading into the decisive match tiebreak, Tien aimed to keep things simple despite the tense atmosphere. “Once I got into the breaker, I kind of just thought just to make him make him earn it,” Tien said. “I’m sure both of us were pretty nervous and I’m sure that both of us going out there and wanting to win for our teams, I’m sure it was going to be very stressful set, but I just went out there just kind of knowing what to expect a little bit more from the court, from the balls and just having that more in mind just with every point meaning so much.”
Agassi on guiding the next generation
For Agassi, being on the captain’s bench has given him an opportunity to share insights from his storied career while enjoying the sport from a fresh perspective.
“I enjoy just being around them,” Agassi explained when asked about mentoring younger players. “All these guys are great athletes, both teams. They all have different wiring, they all have different ways that make them special and different challenges that they have to overcome and sort of learning them is probably the biggest joy.”
Agassi added that working courtside allows him to bring guidance without the intense personal weight of playing: “I always used to call that stress, not fun, you know what I mean? And now it just feels like a little bit more fun than stress. Because I know that these guys are going to take a lot from it and I have the luxury of hindsight. So I think I enjoy the idea of being hopefully contributive in an environment where I get to enjoy the game more than stress it.”
Learner Tien in 2026
Ranked world no.13, the American played his last match on the 26th of September when he overcame world no.7 Flavio Cobolli 6-3 2-6 10-7 in the round robin in the Laver Cup (draw).
During this season the American has achieved a 32-17 record. Tien has won 1 title in Geneva.
