Alexander Zverev made a swift exit after losing in Acapulco (Image: Getty)
wasted no time in leaving the tournament site after he was stunned by a teenager qualifier at the Mexican Open.
Learner Tien continued his incredible breakthrough season, beating the top seed 6-3 6-4 when they met in the round of 16 on Wednesday.
The world No. 2 had post-match media duties to complete after his defeat, but he is said to have stormed off and left in a car while Tien was still on court soaking up the atmosphere.
Zverev’s disappointing golden swing continued on Wednesday as he suffered another shock exit. After losing early in Buenos Aires and Rio, the world No. 2 lost his second match in Acapulco.
Tien needed an hour and 28 minutes to get the job done. After taking the first set, he found himself trailing 4-1 but won the last five games of the match to pull off the upset.
While Tien was still celebrating his win and addressing the crowd on court, Zverev made a swift exit. According to , ahead of the match, the tournament announced that Zverev would take part in a press conference regardless of the result.
But the recent finalist reportedly immediately left the court, walked out of the tournament stadium and into a car, riding off.
Qualifier Learner Tien earned the biggest win of his career (Image: Getty)
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While Zverev didn’t get to comment on his defeat, Tien was delighted. “I just went out there and tried to control my side of the court,” the world No. 83 said.
“Obviously I knew it was going to be a tough match. To come through feels great… I think just focusing on what I can control and keeping my cool as best as I can has really taken me a long way.”
The 19-year-old has been enjoying a steady rise over the last few months. In December, he reached the final of the Next Gen ATP Finals.
Last month, he came through qualifying to reach the main draw of the and shocked in round two, going on to reach the last 16. After qualifying again in Acapulco, Tien has now earned the biggest win of his career over Zverev.
There have been rumours that Zverev was battling food poisoning, which is believed to be going around the tournament.
Casper Ruud withdrew ahead of his round-of-16 match on Wednesday and later said he had a “stomach illness that showed up yesterday”.
Tommy Paul also pulled out, citing a ‘stomach ailment’. No. 4 seed Holger Rune took to the court but retired after just three games and took to social media to confirm that he was suffering from “food poisoning”.
Alex Michelsen also called the trainer during his defeat to Denis Shapovalov, but has yet to confirm whether he was facing a stomach issue or illness.