Expert Learner: USA’s Tien pulls off a five-set win over Russia’s Medvedev in second round

MELBOURNE: Learner Tien notched a major upset in the early hours of Friday morning, when he sealed his spot in the third round of the Australian Open.

The American qualifier dug deep for a 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-7(8), 1-6, 7-6(7) triumph over fifth seed and three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev in four hours, 49 minutes. Tien, the No. 121 in the PIF ATP Rankings, reeled off the last four points in the deciding-set tie-break to seal victory at 2:55 am.

With his gutsy triumph, the 19-year-old became the second-youngest American man to reach the third round at the Australian Open since 18-year-old Pete Sampras in 1990.

Tien’s consistent, methodical approach has often drawn parallels with that of Medvedev, and their maiden clash was destined to be nothing short of a tactical battle. Yet it was the Next Gen ATP Finals presented PIF finalist who took the game to Medvedev, rallying back from a set down in each of the first two sets to spark hopes of a major upset. Medvedev, bidding to reach the third-round for a seventh consecutive year, let slip a break lead once more in the third set, but recovered in the tie-break, where he saved a match point on serve at 6/7 before racing clear in the fourth.

Tien will continue his campaign at Melbourne Park against Frenchman Corentin Moutet, who earlier rallied past another American qualifier Mitchell Krueger 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-4

Swiatek sets up clash against Raducanu

Iga Swiatek rushed through the first set in 26 minutes and completed her 6-0, 6-2 second-round win over Rebecca Sramkova in an hour.

The five-time Grand Slam champion makes a habit of advancing quickly through the early rounds at the majors. She’s won almost 12% of her sets in Grand Slams by 6-0, which puts her in exclusive company.

Second-seeded Swiatek next faces 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who recovered from an early break in the second set to hold off Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-5.

Taylor Fritz hasn’t wasted any time advancing to the third round, dropping just eight games across two rounds and spending just over three hours on court.

The 2024 US Open runner-up and No. 4 seed beat Cristian Garin 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 to move into a third-round match against 38-year-old Gael Monfils, who last week became the oldest player to win an ATP Tour title.

Sriram Balaji and Miguel Reyes-Varela advance to second round

India’s N Sriram Balaji and his Mexican partner Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela advanced to the second round of the Australian Open with a commanding victory in straight sets over Robin Haase and Aleksandr Nedovyesov on Thursday.

The Indo-Mexican duo defeated the Dutch-Kazakh pair 6-4, 6-3 in just over an hour in their opening men’s doubles clash.

Balaji and Reyes-Varela hit 23 winners compared to their opponents’ 16, showcasing superior consistency and firepower.

After securing a break in the sixth game of the first set, Balaji and Reyes-Varela were immediately broken back. However, a decisive backhand winner in the 10th game allowed them to clinch the set.