Ben Shelton is set to face Learner Tien in the second round of the Mallorca Championships on June 25, 2025, at the Santa Ponsa Tennis Academy in Spain. The ATP 250 event features a grass surface and offers a total prize purse of €596,035. Shelton enters the match as the top seed and will be making his debut on the grass courts of the tournament after receiving a first-round bye, while Tien advanced by defeating wildcard Justin Engel in straight sets.
Recent Form and Performance Review
Ben Shelton started his grass-court season at the Boss Open in Stuttgart with strong performances, overcoming Pierre-Hughes Herbert and Jiri Lehecka in straight sets. His run ended in the semifinals with a tight loss in two tie-breaks against top seed Alexander Zverev. Afterward, Shelton competed at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club, where he faced an upset by lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech, losing two consecutive tie-break sets.
Conversely, Learner Tien has had a more variable season. He notably reached the fourth round of the Australian Open as a qualifier, including a major upset over Daniil Medvedev, and defeated Alexander Zverev in Acapulco. However, since March, Tien has recorded just three wins, with a mixed showing including failure to qualify in Halle. His recent victory against Engel in Mallorca was strong; Tien did not surrender his serve and saved all five break points he faced.
Head-to-Head History and Matchup Analysis
Shelton and Tien have never met on the professional circuit, meaning the head-to-head record is currently tied at zero. Shelton’s experience on grass since 2023 gives him a clear advantage over Tien, who is playing his first grass season. Shelton’s challenge will be to improve his return game, which has been a weakness in his last two losses, both decided in tie-breaks without creating break point chances.
Broadcast Information and Viewing Options
The match will be broadcast live across multiple regions, including the Tennis Channel in the United States, Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, and TSN+ in Canada, providing easy accessibility for tennis fans worldwide.
What to Expect and Match Predictions
Learner Tien hopes to capitalize on his recent form and momentum as he targets a win to continue building confidence ahead of his Wimbledon debut. Meanwhile, Shelton aims to bounce back from a disappointing early exit in Queen’s Club by leveraging his grass-court experience and strong baseline game to secure victory.
Considering Shelton’s superior experience on grass and the early signs of Tien’s inconsistency in the season’s latter stages, Shelton is favored to win this matchup in straight sets if he can tighten his return and avoid tie-break situations that have previously cost him.