Learner Tien Stuns Daniil Medvedev in Epic Australian Open Upset

Learner Tien a 19-year-old qualifier, stunned fifth seed Daniil Medvedev with a thrilling five-set victory, eliminating him from the Australian Open. Tien, ranked 121st, claimed a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (8-10) 1-6 7-6 (10-7) victory after nearly five hours of play. Medvedev saved a match point in the third set and forced a decider but Tien held his nerve in the final tie-break, sealing the win at 2:54 AM local time. Before this tournament, Tien had never won a Grand Slam match.

The victory marked a huge upset, as Medvedev had been the favorite especially after Learner Tien showed signs of fatigue in the fourth set. However, a rain delay seemed to revive Tien’s energy and he broke back in the final set to win the tie-break. “I know I made it harder than it could have been,” Tien said after the match. Tien now moves on to face France’s Corentin Moutet in the third round. He is the third teenager in the tournament to defeat a top-10 player, following Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik.

Meanwhile, defending champion Jannik Sinner advanced after overcoming a slow start against Australia’s Tristan Schoolkate. The wildcard stunned Sinner by taking the first set but the top seed recovered to win 4-6 6-4 6-1 6-3. Sinner, who has yet to drop a set in the tournament will continue his title defense in the third round. Other upsets saw Frances Tiafoe fall to Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan while Miomir Kecmanovic beat Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets. Teenage sensation Joao Fonseca lost in five sets to Lorenzo Sonego, ending his impressive Grand Slam debut.