Learner Tien, a 19-year-old qualifier from California, grew to become the youngest American man to achieve the Australian Open’s third spherical since Pete Sampras in 1990, upsetting a racket-tossing Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 1-6, 7-6 in an exhilarating contest that started on Thursday night time and ended within the wee hours of Friday in Melbourne.
The four-hour, 49-minute match had a little bit of every part, together with a six-minute rain delay that interrupted play shortly earlier than 2.30am with Tien serving at 5-5 within the fifth set. When play resumed, Medvedev broke and served for the match at 6-5, however Tien refused to cede, broke again, and compelled the concluding first-to-10 tiebreaker, which he emerged to win shortly earlier than 3am. His victory happened two hours after he had didn’t convert his preliminary match level.
The end result was eyebrow-raising due to the extensive gulf in expertise and accomplishments between the 2 gamers on Margaret Court docket Enviornment. Tien is the world No 121 and owned a profession grand slam file of 0-3 earlier than this week; Medvedev was seeded No 5, received the 2021 US Open and was the runner-up at Melbourne Park in three of the previous 4 years, together with 12 months in the past.
“I used to be positively hoping it wouldn’t go to a fifth-set ‘breaker … It was positively tougher than possibly it might have been, however, no matter,” Tien mentioned, then informed the gang: “I actually recognize all you guys staying out right here. I do know it’s late. I don’t know what time it’s.”
Due to the time distinction, the match ended at about 8am on Thursday morning again residence in Tien’s residence of California, and he took the microphone to talk on to his household.
“I don’t know if my mother and father are nonetheless watching. … I really like you guys. Thanks for at all times supporting me from the world over,” Tien mentioned. “I do know you guys want you can be right here. I want you can be right here, too.”
The left-handed Tien performed fearlessly and virtually flawlessly for stretches, surprisingly getting the higher of prolonged exchanges on the baseline. Throughout the primary two units, he received 32 of the 51 factors that lasted 9 or extra strokes, even popping out on high on one which went 45 pictures and one other that lasted 32.
Tien didn’t blink till he reached the precipice of by far his most essential win, holding a match level within the third-set tiebreaker when he led it 7-6. However Medvedev erased that with a 122 mph ace and ultimately transformed his third set level at a little bit previous 1am, then simply pushed issues to the fifth set.
Medvedev was penalized a degree within the third set whereas displaying the identical kinds of indicators of frustration that led him to destroy a internet digicam along with his racket throughout a surprisingly tough, five-set, first-round win.
After getting damaged to path 4-3 within the second set when Tien delivered a lob that landed on the baseline – not the one time he did so to his 6ft 6in opponent – Medvedev threw his tools towards the sideline. At different moments of anger, Medvedev hit a ball in opposition to the again wall, toppled a digicam and punched his racket bag. He additionally voiced displeasure about being known as for 2 consecutive foot-faults, leading to a double-fault, through the second-set tiebreaker.
This was Medvedev’s first match of the season – his spouse just lately gave delivery to their second baby – and he by no means displayed his finest tennis. As he usually does, the 28-year-old Russian shifted techniques in an try to vary the momentum, pushing ahead to the web incessantly early within the third set.
Some errors by Tien handed over a service break and a 4-3 result in Medvedev in that set. However Tien broke proper again, then held for a 5-4 edge after Medvedev was docked a degree.
Tien reached two junior grand slam singles finals in 2023, on the Australian and US Open, and performed one semester of school tennis at Southern California earlier than turning professional.
He turned 19 final month, and is the youngest man from the US to get this far on the Australian Open since an 18-year-old Sampras reached the fourth spherical in 1990. Sampras received the US Open later that 12 months for the primary of his 14 grand slam singles titles.
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