In a match that will be remembered for years, 19-year-old American qualifier Learner Tien stunned fifth seed Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller at the Australian Open.
Playing on Margaret Court Arena in a late-night epic that stretched nearly five hours, Tien defeated Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-7(8), 1-6, 7-6(7). The match concluded shortly before 3 a.m., leaving the crowd in awe of the young left-hander’s resilience and talent.
Tien, who was born in California to Vietnamese parents, showcased incredible composure despite Medvedev saving a match point with an ace in the third-set tiebreak. After dropping the third and fourth sets, Tien dug deep to clinch the deciding set in a dramatic super tiebreak.
“I was definitely hoping it wasn’t going to go to a fifth-set breaker,” Tien said with a grin after the match. “Either way, I’m just really happy to get the win. I know I made it a lot harder than maybe it could have been, but you know, whatever.”
With this victory, Tien becomes the youngest American man to reach the third round at the Australian Open since Pete Sampras did so at 18 in 1990. This marks a significant milestone in Tien’s career, especially after having lost in the opening round of his first three Grand Slam appearances.
Medvedev, a three-time Australian Open runner-up and former U.S. Open champion, was gracious in defeat. “He played really well today,” Medvedev acknowledged. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. That’s tennis.”
In other matches, Italy’s Jasmine Paolini advanced to the third round by defeating Mexico’s Renata Zarazua 6-2, 6-3. Paolini, last year’s French Open and Wimbledon finalist, will face Ukrainian 28th seed Elina Svitolina next.
Sixth seed Elena Rybakina continued her strong form by defeating American wildcard Iva Jovic 6-0, 6-3, sending another teenager out of the tournament.
Reference(s):
Qualifier Learner Tien stuns Daniil Medvedev in late night epic
cgtn.com
