MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Learner Tien is the youngest man to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals in 11 years. He’s 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 a 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.
“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.”
Tien’s breakthrough run last year at a major ended in the fourth round in Australia.
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 at a major since Andy Roddick at the 2002 U.S. Open.
“I feel like I have a lot more experience now,” he said, comparing victories in Australia. “I mean, I have only had a year since then, but that’s a lot more than I had then.”
He still lives at home with his parents when he’s not away on tour, and now has 1989 French Open champion Michael Chang working with his coaching team. Not that he needs a lot of encouragement from the International Tennis Hall of Fame player.
“I always just tell him if there is something like blatantly obvious that I’m missing, feel free to shout at me,” Tien said. “If you can’t get my attention, feel free to do whatever it takes to get me to notice what you’re trying to tell me.
“I feel like usually I’m pretty attentive on things going on in the match … but sometimes there are just some things that in the heat of the moment I miss, so it’s nice to have someone there that will just remind me.”
Tien’s 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-set win in the tournament.
“I was able to get (Zverev) 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.”
Tien had a nosebleed 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.
“Yeah, I mean, came out very well. My nose started bleeding in the third game. I was really hoping that I wouldn’t come back out cold and, you know, be a little bit thrown off by it,” he said. “Thankfully, I was able to keep my momentum going.”
He doesn’t think the bleed is anything too serious, or regular, attributing it to Melbourne’s dry summer air.
Tien 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.”
On a momentum-seizing roll, Tien had Medvedev so rattled that the Russian tried to mix things up, including attempting an underarm serve.
“He played great, super-aggressive,” Medvedev said. “Even when I was making good shots, he was making a better shot back.
“He had, like, unbelievable match where everything went in.”
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