Learner Tien of the U.S. celebrates after winning his second round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, in the early hours of Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Daniil Medvedev of Russia throws his racker during his second round match against Learner Tien of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Learner Tien of the U.S. gestures during his second round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Daniil Medvedev of Russia reacts during his second round match against Learner Tien of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Daniil Medvedev of Russia reacts during his second round match against Learner Tien of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Learner Tien of the U.S. celebrates after winning his second round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, in the early hours of Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Learner Tien of the U.S. eats pizza as he leaves from a press conference for his second round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, in the early hours of Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Learner Tien of the U.S. is congratulated after winning his second round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia, right, at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, in the early hours of Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Learner Tien of the U.S. celebrates after winning his second round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, in the early hours of Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Daniil Medvedev of Russia throws his racker during his second round match against Learner Tien of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Learner Tien of the U.S. gestures during his second round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Daniil Medvedev of Russia reacts during his second round match against Learner Tien of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Daniil Medvedev of Russia reacts during his second round match against Learner Tien of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Learner Tien of the U.S. celebrates after winning his second round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, in the early hours of Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Learner Tien of the U.S. eats pizza as he leaves from a press conference for his second round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, in the early hours of Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Learner Tien of the U.S. is congratulated after winning his second round match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia, right, at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, in the early hours of Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Learner Tien, a 19-year-old qualifier from California, became the youngest American man to reach the Australian Open's third round since Pete Sampras in 1990, upsetting a racket-tossing Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (8), 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a match that began Thursday night and ended in the wee hours of Friday.
The 4-hour, 49-minute contest had a bit of everything, including — hard to believe — a six-minute rain delay that interrupted play shortly before 2:30 a.m. with Tien serving at 5-all, 15-all in the fifth set. When they resumed, Medvedev broke and served for the victory at 6-5, but Tien wouldn’t cede a thing. He immediately broke back to force the concluding first-to-10 tiebreaker that he emerged to win shortly before 3 a.m., about two hours after he failed to convert his initial match point.
“Belief is a big thing in succeeding and winning, in general. I always go on the court believing that there’s a chance I can win," said Tien, who showed up at his news conference toting a white cardboard box with a pepperoni pizza. “I wasn’t trying to think of the match as anything more important than any other match I’ve ever played. I was just going to go out there, have fun, see what I could do.â€
As for the post-match snack, he said, “It was either going to be celebratory or a binge-y, like, cope. It feels better it’s more celebratory, for sure.â€
The outcome was eyebrow-raising because of the wide gulf in experience and accomplishments between the two players at Margaret Court Arena. Tien is ranked 121st and owned a career Grand Slam record of 0-3 before this week; Medvedev was seeded No. 5, won and was the runner-up at in three of the past four years, including 12 months ago.
“It was definitely harder than maybe it could have been, but, whatever,†Tien said on court right afterward, then told the crowd: “I really appreciate all you guys staying out here. I know it’s late. I have no idea what time it is.â€
Because of the time difference, the match ended at about 8 a.m. on Thursday morning back home in California, and Tien took the microphone to speak directly to his family — he said he hoped they were tuned in on TV.
“I don't know if my parents are still watching. ... I love you guys. Thank you for always supporting me from across the world,†Tien said. “I know you guys wish you could be here. I wish you could be here, too.â€
The left-handed Tien played fearlessly and almost flawlessly for stretches, surprisingly getting the better of lengthy exchanges at the baseline: Across the first two sets, he won 32 of the 51 points that lasted nine or more strokes, even coming out on top on one that went 45 shots and another that lasted 32.
Tien was a point from winning while leading 7-6 in the third-set tiebreaker. But Medvedev erased that with a 122 mph (196 kph) ace and eventually converted his third set point at a little past 1 a.m.
Medvedev was penalized a point in that set while showing the same sorts of signs of frustration that led him to destroy during a surprisingly difficult, five-set, first-round win against an opponent ranked 418th.
After getting broken to trail 4-3 in the second set when Tien delivered a lob that landed at a baseline — not the only time he did that to his 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) foe — Medvedev chucked his equipment toward the sideline, skidding it across the court until it reached an advertising panel near his bench. At other moments of anger, Medvedev hit a ball against the back wall, toppled a camera behind a baseline and punched his racket bag. He also voiced displeasure about being called for two consecutive foot-faults, resulting in a double-fault, during the second-set tiebreaker.
This was Medvedev’s first tournament of the season — his wife recently gave birth to their second child — and the 28-year-old Russian never really displayed his best tennis.
Tien reached two junior Grand Slam singles finals in 2023, at the Australian Open and U.S. Open, and played one semester of college tennis at Southern California before turning pro that year.
He turned 19 last month, and is the youngest man from the United States to get this far at the Australian Open since an 18-year-old Sampras reached the fourth round in 1990. Sampras won the U.S. Open later that year for the first of his 14 Grand Slam titles.
This match was the latest significant result for a teen in Melbourne this year.
Tien joined of Brazil and Martin Landaluce of Spain as the first trio of teenagers to qualify for the men’s bracket at a major since Wimbledon in 2017. And then Fonseca, who beat No. 9 Andrey Rublev, and Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic, who defeated No. 6 Casper Ruud, became the first pair of teens to beat top-10 men at the same Grand Slam tournament since Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray at Wimbledon in 2006.
Now Tien makes it three. He called what Fonseca and Mensik did “definitely pretty inspiring.â€
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: . AP tennis:
