Australian Open: Former ATP star blown away by Learner Tien’s ‘tactical mastery’
Learner Tien produced a tactical masterclass against Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open with former player Nicolas Escude saying the rising star’s strategy was “absolutely perfect”.
Playing in the main draw of the season-opening Grand Slam for the second time in his career, Tien went one better than on his debut as his stunning win over former world No 1 Medvedev helped him to reach the quarter-final of a major for the first time.
It was also a case of deja vu as last year the American beat the Russian – who was No 5 in the rankings at the time – in five sets in the second round, although this time he didn’t drop a set as he won 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 against a player who finished runner-up three times at Melbourne Park.
The 2025 hard-court major was Tien’s breakthrough tournament as it was his first top-five win, but a few weeks later he beat then world No 2 Alexander Zverev at the Mexican Open while he also claimed top-10 wins over Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Musetti.
Having started 2025 at No 122, he finished the year at No 28 and Escude – who peaked at No 17 in the world – says the surprise element certainly helped the youngster last year, but he has since improved.
“I discovered him last year, like everyone else. He surprised a lot of people,” he told Eurosport. “With him, there was the novelty effect because no one had figured out his game. So yes, he benefited from a real surprise effect.
“Today, he has moved beyond that and is still in the quarter-finals.”
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Tien, who is coached by 1989 French Open winner Michael Chang, was a step ahead of Medvedev in the fourth round with his tactics with Escude impressed
“I’ve never seen Tien overplay or overheat. On the other hand, he was absolutely perfect in his tactical mastery of the match and in the way he approached it and played Medvedev,” the Frenchman stated.
“That was extraordinary. Medvedev likes a fight, a fast pace, shots played diagonally. For two sets, Tien didn’t give him the same ball twice.
“He never stopped moving him around with his left foot. Daniil ended up completely missing the mark, of course.
“But what we should remember is Tien’s tactical mastery, which was quite extraordinary.”
Tien will face third seed Zverev for a place in the semi-final.
