The 19-year-old American defeated the Russian star Daniil Medvedev from Russia in a sweaty five-setter, 6–3, 7–6 (7–4), 6–7 (6–8), 1–6, 7–6 (9–7). The match in Melbourne lasted for almost five hours and was not over until early Friday morning, local time.
Learner Tien is the youngest American male player to reach the third round in singles in the tournament since Pete Sampras in 1990.
Tien, ranked 121st in the world, will next face the Frenchman Corentin Moutet, while Medvedev, who finished second in the Australian Open last year, has played his last match. Already in the first round, the fifth-seeded Russian had major problems. Despite eventually defeating the Thai Kasidit Samrej, most headlines afterwards were about Medvedev's mood – during the tough five-setter, he smashed both his racket and a camera at the net.
