CNN —
American teenager Learner Tien produced arguably the biggest shock of the Australian Open so far as he defeated last year’s runner-up Daniil Medvedev in five sets, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (8), 1-6, 7-6 (7).
When the brutal, exhausting contest drew to a close just before 3 a.m. in Melbourne, it was the less experienced 19-year-old who prevailed in the final-set tiebreak to claim the biggest win of his fledgling career.
Tien, making a first appearance in the second round of a grand slam, had an opportunity to close out the victory with a match point in the third set before Medevedev launched an impressive comeback.
It looked like the fifth-seeded Russian would have the momentum to win a second-consecutive five-set match in Melbourne, but Tien secured a break of serve early in the decider to take a 3-1 lead.
Medvedev broke back immediately, and a 10-point tiebreak was ultimately needed to separate the two players. Trailing 6-4, Tien showed remarkable composure and character to win six of the last seven points, securing the victory in four hours, 49 minutes.
The Irvine, California, native becomes the youngest American to reach the third round of the Australian Open since Pete Sampras 35 years ago. Having also needed five sets to defeat Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the first round, he will be hoping for a shorter match when he faces unseeded Frenchman Corentin Moutet on Saturday in Melbourne.
“I was definitely hoping that it wasn’t going to go to a fifth-set breaker (against Medvedev),” Tien said in his on-court interview. “Either way, I’m just really happy to get a win. I know I made it a lot harder than maybe it could have been, but, whatever.
“I followed (Moutet’s) first-round match this week, not really thinking about if I could play him in the third round or not,” he added. “Obviously, I’ve seen him. I think it will be a fun match.”
Ranked 121st in the world, Tien had never won a grand slam match prior to this week, his previous experience amounting to three first-round losses at the US Open. However, he has had a deep run at Melbourne Park before having finished runner-up in the boys’ singles event two years ago.
With his first victory against an opponent ranked inside the top five, Tien becomes the youngest player left in the men’s draw at the Australian Open. He is three months younger than Czech 19-year-old Jakub Mensik, who upset Norwegian sixth seed Casper Ruud on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, another teenager, Brazilian 18-year-old Joao Fonseca, knocked out ninth-seed Andrey Rublev earlier this week before losing in the second round.
For Medvedev, defeat against Tien marks his earliest exit from the Australian Open since 2018, having finished runner-up at three of the last four tournaments.
