Michael Chang's influence on Learner Tien impresses victorious Alexander Zverev at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Michael Chang influence on Learner Tien's tennis has people talking about what is possible for the 20-year-old American.

Tien lost his first Grand Slam quarterfinal on Tuesday, to No. 3 Alexander Zverev, but even the 2025 Australian Open runnerup was startled by the difference he's noticed in a matter of months.

“I don’t know what Michael Chang has done with him in the offseason,” said Zverev, who reached his 10th Grand Slam semifinal with a 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1, 7-6 (3) win. “Very different than last year, for sure. It was incredible to see how he played from the baseline. I thought he was playing unbelievable."

The pair played two head-to-heads last year, with Zverev winning in the first round at Roland Garros and Tien winning in the Round of 16 at Acapulco, where he reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier.

Tien was a breakout star last year in Melbourne, where he upset three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev in the second round and made it to the Round of 16. He won his first ATP title in Metz and reached the final in Beijing. He also landed the crown at the ATP's Next Gen Finals in December.

This year at the Australian Open, he thumped Medvedev in straight sets to reach the last eight.

Tien was the youngest man since 2015 to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals. He was also the only player outside the Top 10 to make it.

Chang, the 1989 French Open champion, knows what it takes for a young player to beat the odds. He won the title at Roland Garros at the age of 17, which remains the youngest for a male to have won a Grand Slam singles crown.

He started working with Tien last year and was in the young player's support crew at Melbourne Park the last two weeks, offering technical advice and encouragement.

Chang's advice to step up to receive Zverev's second serve helped in the second set, when there was a noticeable turnaround in Tien's return points. But his opponent was too consistent with his first serve throughout the match, upping the pressure with 24 aces.

“He’s always a very calming presence,” Tien said of the 53-year-old Chang. "Offers me a lot of stuff mid-match, especially stuff that maybe I’m not picking up on.

"Obviously (Zverev) played a good match. He was playing pretty well from start to finish, so you know, for portions of the match, I was just trying to stay with him and not let him kind of run away with things.

“So it’s more of that. (Chang) was just giving me little bits of encouragement.”

Tien said he's made a lot of headway since his previous trip to Australia, but is still working to improve his serve and his physicality.

“Physically, I wouldn’t say I’m close to, you know, where I hope to be one day,” he said. "But I think weeks like this are good to test myself. I get a lot of takeaways from winning and losing these matches.

“It just really sets me up to come back — come back and be even better the next time.”

Learner Tien of the U.S. talks to his coach Michael Chang during his fourth round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Michael Chang, coach of Learner Tien of the U.S. reacts during his fourth round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Learner Tien of the U.S. waves as he leaves the court following his quarterfinal loss to Alexander Zverev of Germany at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Alexander Zverev, right, of Germany is congratulated by Learner Tien, left, of the U.S. following their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Learner Tien of the U.S. plays a backhand return to Alexander Zverev of Germany during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The American streamer and YouTuber IShowSpeed is on the final leg of a 28-day tour of Africa aimed at showcasing the continent's cultural diversity, which is often overshadowed by images of poverty and violence.

“I’ve done so many incredible things in my life,” he said during a stop in Botswana. “But this trip is different. It opened my eyes. Africa is not what I thought.”

The tour of 19 countries across southern, eastern and North Africa began in Angola in late December. He attended the Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco on Jan. 18, then visited Senegal, celebrating the national soccer team’s victory with fans, and Nigeria, where he passed 50 million YouTube subscribers and marked his 21st birthday.

On Monday, he visited Ghana, trying jollof rice, meeting a traditional ruler and receiving a massage at the shea butter museum.

“I am back home, there ain’t no better feeling,” the content creator, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., said upon arriving in Ghana, revealing that his ancestry traces to the West African country. He's expected to arrive Tuesday in Namibia, likely the tour’s final stop.

For his “Speed Does Africa” series, Watkins streamed live on YouTube. In videos lasting up to nine hours, he sampled local dishes, learned traditional dances and challenged athletes, often shouting in excitement. Large crowds of his followers swarmed him at many of his destinations.

Since the tour began, dozens of African American internet users have expressed support in widely shared videos.

Pape Seye, a 40-year-old resident of Dakar, highlighted Watkins’ visit to the House of Slaves on Gorée Island, a symbol of the Atlantic slave trade that sent millions of Africans into bondage.

“Americans, especially Black Americans, need to know that our histories are tied, that many of our ancestors might have been deported from Gorée,” he said.

Some critics have been more skeptical. Beninese influencer Nelly Mbaa, known online as Afro Chronik, said that Watkins embodies a Western expectation that young Black men be valued for spectacle rather than intellect. She said he's followed not for subtle humor, but for performing “an absurd, exaggerated and grotesque character.”

“If he were to abandon this persona — the constant grimacing, shouting and controversial remarks — his audience would likely disappear,” Mbaa said.

IShowSpeed has more than 50 million YouTube subscribers, 45 million Instagram followers and 47 million on TikTok.

He has built his brand on loud, exaggerated and sometimes aggressive reactions that became his online persona, but also sparked controversy. In 2022, he was banned from professional online gaming competitions after a sexist outburst against a female player and briefly suspended from YouTube for showing sexual content in a video game.

American YouTuber and online streamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr., better known as IShowSpeed, is served Ghana jollof rice at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana, during his Africa tour, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Tsraha Yaw)

American YouTuber and online streamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr., known as IShowSpeed, meets fans at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana, during his Africa tour, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Tsraha Yaw)

American YouTuber and online streamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr., known as IShowSpeed, meets fans at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana, during his Africa tour, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Tsraha Yaw)

American YouTuber and online streamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr., known as IShowSpeed, meets fans at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana, during his Africa tour, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Tsraha Yaw)

American YouTuber and online streamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr., known as IShowSpeed, meets fans at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana, during his Africa tour, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Tsraha Yaw)