Aurélien Canot, Media365, published on Thursday January 16, 2025 at 5:55 p.m.
Triple finalist of the event, Daniil Medvedev left the Australian Open in the 2nd round this Thursday. The Russian lost in five sets (6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 1-6, 7-6) against the young 19-year-old American qualifier Learner Tien, ranked 121st in the world and who will be opposed Corentin Moutet in the 3rd round.
This Australian Open is already over for Daniil Medvedev. The world number 5 will not go further than the 2nd round. The fault lies with Learner Tien, a young 19-year-old American hopeful from qualifying and ranked 121st in the ATP who allowed himself the luxury of playing a nasty trick on the Russian who had reached the final of the tournament three times (in 2021, 2022 and 2024). The feat achieved by the Californian of Vietnamese origin who was competing in the event for the first time in his life and had never before completed a Grand Slam was worth a rating. Tien didn't steal it though. Executioner in five sets of the Russian (6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 1-6, 7-6) at more than three in the morning local time and after a little less than five hours of play, signing there the greatest success of this career which started not long ago, the hero of the day in Melbourne could also have put an end to Medvedev's journey without losing a single set. The “Tsar”, already on the brink of collapse, had to dismiss a first match point in the deciding game of the third set, even though he had been dominated in the first two to obtain the right to stay alive in this match. The game then got off to a bad start for the former world number 1. Taking advantage of a slight relaxation from his opponent then a pressing desire from the American, who admitted afterwards that he had found no other reason than to let the set slip away to remedy it (“j “I really wanted to urinate”), Medvedev nevertheless managed to reset the counters to zero.
Moutet will have to pull out all the stops
Tien, who had already gained the upper hand over Argentinian Ugo Carabelli in five sets during his first match, then started again with a vengeance. But once again, the break achieved by the 121st in the world did not prevent Medvedev, determined not to give up, from coming back to the level. After an interruption to allow the organizers to deploy the roof, just before the two players took turns serving their opponent, it was finally said that this last match on the day's program would be decided at the end of the first super tie-break of the fortnight. Tien continued to hit some pretty exceptional shots, especially on the forehand. However, it was Medvedev, pushed by his clan, of which Gilles Simon is now a member, who offered himself the first mini-break, quickly filled again by the young American prodigy, who was not going to miss his chance then after having in turn created a gap. Ultimately winning 10 points to 7 in this super tie-break, Tien will face one of our five Blues still in the race in the next round: Corentin Moutet. The latter is warned: he will have to play his best tennis to block the path of the Russian's shooter.
