ATP Tour
Tian beats Shelton in Indian Wells
Zverev beats Nakajima for California R4 seat
March 8, 2026
ATP Tour
Learner Tian defeated Ben Shelton at the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday.
Andy West
Rookie Tian held on for victory in a riveting All-American southpaw match at the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday afternoon.
The 20-year-old defeated world number eight Ben Shelton 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells to reach the fourth round for the first time. Tenn went up against one of the biggest servers in the game against Sheldon, but it was the Californian’s own penalty shooting that proved decisive: He blasted 15 aces to Sheldon’s eight and won 82% of his first-serve points (58/71), according to Infosys ATP statistics.
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Learner Tian is still intact after a statement win over Shelton in Indian Wells. @BNPPARIBASOPEN | #tennisparadise pic.twitter.com/kY6fChCNM2
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 8, 2026
Shelton still seemed to be feeling the effects of an illness that hampered his victory in his opening match against Riley Opelka, but he dug deep in typically focused fashion to ensure an engaging match on the Stadium Court at Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Yet the top-10 star seemed to run out of steam in the closing stages, especially after Tenn earned the only break of serve in the decider in the sixth game.
“It’s awesome. It’s awesome,” Tien said after booking a spot in the last 16 at his hometown Masters 1000 event. “I just want to say, Ben didn’t feel 100 percent when he came out. I don’t think he felt good all week, but he’s a great competitor and he went out and gave it his all. So I just want to say, huge props to him.
“I’m very happy to be in the fourth round. Especially here, it’s extra special and I have a double this afternoon. [with Daniil Medvedev]so I’m excited. ”
Tenn improved to 2-0 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Sheldon with the victory in two hours and 10 minutes, having also beaten his compatriot on the grass in Mallorca last year. Defending Next Generation ATP Finals champion Tian has moved up four spots to No. 23 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings after reaching the fourth round at Indian Wells, where he will face either No. 12 seed Jakub Mencic or No. 18 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
In the first match of the day in California, Alexander Zverev withstood a tough test from Brandon Nakajima to become the first player in nearly a decade to reach 100 wins in the Masters 1,000 games.
Fourth-seeded Zverev improved to 6-0 with a 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-4 win in the Lexus ATP Showdown series against Nakajima. The 28-year-old German player made a decisive breakthrough in the final game of the tournament and will face either 15th seed Flavio Coboli or 21st seed Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round.
Zverev, a two-time Indian Wells quarterfinalist, could complete all nine Masters 1000 semifinals by reaching the semifinals in the California desert.
