Match ReportThree-time finalist rallies to 3-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(8), 6-1
January 16, 2025
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Daniil Medvedev in action on Thursday at the Australian Open. By ATP Staff
Daniil Medvedev kept his Australian Open hopes alive in the early hours of Friday morning, where he saved a match point to level his second-round clash with American qualifier Learner Tien.
The fifth seed and three time finalist recovered from a two-set deficit to send the match to a deciding set. Tien, No. 121 in the PIF ATP Rankings, rallied from break down in each set to spark hopes of a major upset, before facing a fightback from Medvedev.
Keeping each other accountable 😮💨@AustralianOpen | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/w09u2OBKFh
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Tien’s consistent, methodical approach has often drawn parallels with that of Medvedev, but the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF finalist took the initiative in much of the longer rallies to move ahead in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Medvedev came unstuck by his own serve in the opening two sets, in which he won just 19 per cent (6/32) points behind his second delivery, according to Infosys Stats.
Medvedev let slip a break lead once more in the third set, but recovered in a tie-break, where he saved a match point on serve at 6/7 to spark hopes of a comeback. The 28-year-old has prevailed in four contests from two sets down in his career, including against Alexander Zverev in last year’s Australian Open semi-final.
If 19-year-old Tien can seal victory, he will become the second-youngest American man to reach the Australian Open third round since Pete Sampras in 1990.
