Student Tien dispatches Daniil Medvedev, sets up Australian Open QF clash with Alexander Zverev | ATP Tour
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Tien dispatches Medvedev, sets up Australian Open QF clash with Zverev
Tien leads Medvedev 3-1 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series
January 25, 2026
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Student Tien leads Daniil Medvedev 3-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
Written by Sam Jacot
Student Tien made a strong statement on Sunday at the Australian Open, where he produced an impressive performance to oust three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 and become the youngest player to reach the quarter-finals of a major since Nick Kyrgios in 2015.
The 20-year-old’s victory marked the latest chapter in a rapidly developing rivalry. Twelve months ago in Melbourne, then World No. 121 Tien stunned Medvedev in a five-set second-round match. That win was the launching pad, with Tien later defeating World No. 1 and on his way to the final of his first level in Beijing.
However, this time in Melbourne there was little drama. After a competitive opening set, which was won by the 20-year-old who won a forehand down the line, Tien took complete control. He took out 12 of the game’s next 15 games, sealing the victory at one hour and 39 minutes with a stunning backhand pass.
“It feels amazing, it’s really important to do it here,” said Tien on reaching the quarter-finals of his first major. “It is very important to come back here to play every year and it was my main goal [to play well here] and I am very happy.
“Every year since I’ve been here the crowd support has been amazing. I don’t know why, but every year it’s been special to come back and have a crowd like this, with great energy. It means the world to me.”
Medvedev arrived in Melbourne in good form, lifting his 22nd-ranked title in Brisbane earlier this month and winning three times to reach the fourth round of a tough field for the sixth time. But he could not match Tien from the ground up, as the 25th seed dictated the play with high consistency, aggression and authority. Tien finished with a 33-16 winning margin, compared to Medvedev, who was 15-30 across the same metrics.
Fresh from taking the Next Gen ATP Finals crown in Jeddah last month, Tien continued his rapid rise in Melbourne and reached No. 24 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Tien is the youngest American to reach the quarter-finals since 2002 and will hope to continue his journey against Alexander Zverev.
The American will meet Zverev on Tuesday after the German defeated Francisco Cerundolo. Zverev lost his first three meetings against Cerundolo but has won the last three matches, their Head2Head standings at 3-3.
The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings showed no signs of that previous Cerundolo struggle at the John Cain Arena, where he cruised past Cerundolo 6–2, 6–4, 6–4 in two hours and 12 minutes.
Zverev has now reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the fifth time, surpassing Boris Becker for the German’s eighth final appearance at the tournament. However, he still wants to turn deep runs into great glory. Last year, World No. 3 reached the final at Melbourne Park for the first time.
