Qualifier defeats last year’s finalist
Five-hour crime thriller: tennis sensation at 3 a.m
January 16, 2025 – 5:46 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
He barely got away in the first round, but now it has caught him. Last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev said goodbye to the Australian Open early. After a true crime story that only ended in the early hours of the morning.
Daniil Medvedev, last year’s finalist and fifth in the world rankings, was sensationally eliminated from the Australian Open. In the second round, the Russian lost to the American qualifier Learner Tien after almost five exciting hours with 3:6, 6:7 (4:7), 7:6 (10:8), 6:1, 6:7 ( 7:10). The 19-year-old Tien, currently ranked 121st in the world, converted the match point shortly before three a.m. local time in Melbourne.
In the first round, Medvedev was on the verge of elimination against the Thai qualifier Kasidit Samrej, but with difficulty turned the game into five sets after destroying the net camera and his racket in the meantime.
The co-favorite also appeared vulnerable against the strong Tien. Despite a dominant fourth set, the Russian could not find his usual game and ultimately suffered his earliest defeat at a Grand Slam since the 2018 French Open.
Last year, Medvedev made spectacular comebacks in Melbourne. In the semi-finals he defeated Alexander Zverev after a set deficit of 0-2, but lost in the final against the Italian Jannik Sinner in five sets.
For the young Learner Tien, the victory over Medvedev was the greatest success of his young career so far. In the third round he will now face Frenchman Corentin Moutet.
The US boy will go into the duel tired but with a lot of self-confidence after causing one of the biggest surprises of the tournament with his inspiring performance against Medvedev.