MELBOURNE, Australia – Tien, a 19-year-old California qualifier, grew to become the youngest American to succeed in the third spherical of the Australian Open since Pete Sampras in 1990, upsetting Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7 -6 (4), 6-7 (8), 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) within the match that began on Thursday night time and resulted in a couple of hours on Friday.
The four-hour, 49-minute contest had all of it, together with — exhausting to imagine — a six-minute rain delay that interrupted play simply earlier than 2:30 a.m. when Tien went 5-all, 15-all within the fifth. arrange. Once they resumed, Medvedev broke and labored for a 6-5 victory, however Tien didn’t surrender, fought again, and compelled a tiebreaker of the primary finish to 10 to win simply earlier than 3 within the morning, nearly for the second time. hours after he didn’t convert his first match level.
The end result was eyebrow-raising because of the breadth of expertise and achievement between the 2 gamers on the Margaret Court docket Enviornment. Tien is ranked 121st and has a profession Grand Slam file of 0-3 earlier than this week; Medvedev is ranked No. 5, received the 2021 US Open and was 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 would not go to a fifth-set ‘breaker. … It was positively more durable than it might have been, however, no matter it was,” Tien mentioned, then advised the group: “I actually admire all of you who stay out right here. I do know it is late. I do not know what time it’s.”
Due to the time distinction, the sport ended at 8 a.m. Thursday morning at residence in California, and he took the microphone to talk on to his household – he mentioned he hoped they have been watching on tv.
“I do not know if my dad and mom are nonetheless watching me. … I like you. Thanks for all the time supporting me all over the world,” mentioned Tien. “I do know you need to be right here. I want you might be right here too.”
The left-hander Tien performed fearlessly and was nearly error-free, surprisingly getting the very best of the lengthy exchanges initially: All through the primary two units, he received 32 of 51 factors that took 9 or extra strokes, and even went forward. one which shot 45 and one which took 32.
Tien did not blink till he reached the purpose of his most vital win, holding a match level within the third set tiebreaker when he led 7-6. However Medvedev erased that with a 122 mph (196 kph) ace and ultimately transformed his third set level after 1 a.m., then simply pushed issues to a fifth set.
Medvedev was penalized some extent within the third set when he confirmed the identical indicators of frustration that led him to destroy a small digicam hanging from the web by hitting it along with his racket throughout his shock first-round victory. his opponent is ranked 418th.
After trailing at 4-3 within the second set when Tien delivered a forehand – not the one time he’d do this to his 6-foot opponent – Medvedev hit a service level sideways, parried it. the court docket even got here to the publicity committee close to his bench. In some moments of anger, Medvedev hit the ball towards the again wall, dropped the digicam behind the bottom and hit his racket bag. He additionally expressed displeasure at being known as for 2 consecutive foot faults, leading to a double fault, in the course of the second tiebreaker.
This was Medvedev’s first match of the season – his spouse not too long ago gave beginning to their second baby – and he has by no means proven his finest tennis. As he usually does, the 28-year-old Russian switched techniques in an try to show issues round, pushing ahead on the internet recurrently initially of the third set.
Some errors by Tien gave a break of service and a 4-3 result in Medvedev in that set. However Tien broke proper, then held for a 5-4 edge after Medvedev earned some extent.
Tien reached two Grand Slam singles finals in 2023, on the Australian Open and US Open, and performed one semester of school tennis in Southern California earlier than turning professional that yr.
He simply turned 19 final month, and is now the youngest American to succeed in this stage on the Australian Open since 18-year-old Sampras reached the fourth spherical in 1990. the primary of his 14 Grand Slam titles, a complete that ranks fourth amongst males in tennis historical past.
The sport was the newest vital end result for the youth in Melbourne this yr.
Tien joined Brazil’s João Fonseca and Spain’s Martin Landaluce as the primary three newcomers to win the lads’s bracket at a serious since Wimbledon in 2017. Then Fonseca, who beat No. 9 Andrey Rublev, and Jakub Mensik from the Czech Republic. , who defeated No. 6 Casper Ruud, grew to become the primary teenager to beat the highest ten males in the identical Grand Slam. match since Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray did it at Wimbledon in 2006.
Supply hyperlink
