A surprising result — but not for close tennis followers
The final match on the schedule at Margaret Court Arena delivered one of the biggest surprises of the Australian Open so far. American teenager Learner Tien defeated former champion Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, 6–4, 6–0, 6–3.
While the result may appear shocking on paper, it was less unexpected for those closely following the young American’s rapid rise. Tien recently won the JEDI Next Generation tournament in December, confirming his status as one of the most promising prospects in men’s tennis.
Tien takes early control in the opening set
From the very start of the match, Tien showed no signs of intimidation. He broke Medvedev’s serve in the opening game to take a 1–0 lead and never looked back.
The American held his own serve comfortably throughout the set, maintaining constant pressure on the Russian. Medvedev struggled to find rhythm, while Tien dictated play and closed out the first set convincingly, 6–4.
A dominant second set leaves Medvedev without answers
The second set followed a similar pattern, but with an even more dramatic outcome. Once again, Tien secured an early break, setting the tone immediately.
This time, Medvedev was unable to win a single game. Tien dominated every aspect of play, controlling rallies and capitalizing on Medvedev’s errors to cruise through the set 6–0, completely overwhelming the former world number one.
Composure and confidence seal the match in set three
In the third set, Tien continued according to the same script. He broke early once again and added a second break to race to a 3–0 lead.
Medvedev managed to respond with a break of his own, briefly reducing the deficit, but the momentum remained firmly with the American. At 5–3, Tien produced one final break to close out the match, sealing a remarkable straight-sets victory and confirming his breakout moment on the Grand Slam stage.
For broader context on the growing pressure and significance of this stage of the tournament, read our full Australian Open 2026: Day 8 Preview
By Hameltion – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=151835907
By Amaury Laporte – https://www.flickr.com/photos/8283439@N04/53156378095/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=141773860