MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Learner Tien is the youngest man to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals in 11 years, and the youngest American man to go so far in a Grand Slam event since 2002.
And he didn’t have to go the distance again with three-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev to get there.
The 20-year-old Tien had 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 win over Medvedev on Sunday, a year after a second-round, five-set upset over the 2021 U.S. Open champion.
Tien’s breakthrough run at a major ended in the fourth round in Australia last year.
He has already gone one better, becoming the youngest man since Nick Kyrgios in 2015 to make it to the last eight at Melbourne Park and he’s the youngest American to do so since Andy Roddick at the 2002 U.S. Open.
His road will get tougher, with No. 3 Alexander Zverev, the runner-up in Melbourne last year, up next. Zverev beat Francisco Cerundolo 6-2, 6-4, 6-4, his first straight-sets win in the tournament.
Tien had a problem with his nose and needed a medical timeout for tissues and treatment after the third game, causing a seven-minute pause in the match. It didn’t slow him down.
“Feels amazing. So special to do it, especially here,” Tien said. “This is a big goal for me this year. I’m just super happy.”
He had the bulk of the crowd on Margaret Court Arena on his side, including dozens of fans wearing what are known locally as L Plates — signs that are mandatory for learner drivers and have a black L printed on a yellow background.
“Every year since I’ve been coming here, the crowd support is amazing,” he said. “I don’t know why.”
The quarterfinal match against Zverev is going to be “a super tough match,” he said.
“I was able to get him the first time we played. The second time, he beat me pretty bad,” Tien said. “He plays great tennis here, he’s the defending finalist. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to it.”
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