It looked like perhaps that Learner Tien wouldn't be playing in the China Open, especially considering that he will play in the Laver Cup, which would in theory be a mad dash to the tournament from London. But it seems like it was made all entirely harder by a registration mishap on his end.
The organizers have announced the four main draw wildcards, and there was a special inclusion. Three of them went to Chinese players, including Yunchaokete Bu, the surprise semi-finalist back in 2024 who had convincingly beaten Rafael Jodar in the first round of the US Open.
Zhizhen Zhang, a faded former light, will also be involved. The former top 50 star, who is now ranked 168th, has been invited back. Albeit he had two first-round exits in 2024 and 2025.
Finally, Juncheng Shang, or Jerry Shang, as he is also known, will try to shine in front of his home crowd. It is his fourth appearance at the event.
Tien's last-minute invite, though, is a tad bit different. He finished runner-up last year in the tournament against Jannik Sinner, and despite being ranked World No.13, he has received an A+ wildcard, which was announced this past weekend for a pretty bizarre reason.
The China Open 🇨🇳 handed out 4 men’s singles main draw wildcards. Three went to Chinese players, while the fourth one (A+WC) was given to Learner Tien.
— Learner Tien News (@LearnerTienNews) September 21, 2026
looks like the China Open specially rewarded Tien for reaching last year’s final. 🌟#BeiJing
🫶🏻💪🏽 https://t.co/iiRNnPkaAr pic.twitter.com/sSUOVzNudC
An administrative setback prevented the American from registering in time for the event. This means despite the mishap, the 20-year-old gets a reward after shining on the courts of Beijing in 2025.
He was lauded recently with Jim Courier showering praise on the rising star. "Learner is very good at that. I think Gilles Simon was amazing at that. There have been many over the years, but I am really fascinated with Learner entering the space in which he is now with Michael Chang, who is another brilliant mind. It's going to be fun to see what they do together. In fact, it has already been."
"He has progressed in increasing the speed of his strokes, although he has had elbow problems this summer. I'm curious to see if he maintains the speed of his serve, because in Canada it was very low. Even so, he succeeded, but that's a disadvantage if you lose between 8 and 10 miles per hour with the first serve.
"I don't know when he will be among the top ten, but it will be quite soon; he is about to achieve it, and it seems to me that a career in the style of David Ferrer is almost certain.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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