MELBOURNE, Australia – Learner Tien, a 19-year-old qualifier from California, became the youngest American since Pete Sampras in 1990 to reach the third round of the Australian Open, defeating racket-throwing Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (8), 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a game that began on Thursday evening and ended in the early hours of the morning Fridays.

The 4-hour, 49-minute contest had a bit of everything, including, unbelievably, a six-minute rain delay that halted play just before 2:30 and Tien at 5-all, 15-all the fifth movement opened. As they played on, Medvedev broke out and held at love to win 6-5, but Tien gave nothing up, breaking back and forcing the final first to tenth tiebreaker, from which he emerged victorious just before 3 a.m., around two o’clock emerged hours after failing to convert his first match point.

The result caused a stir as the two players’ experiences and successes at Margaret Court Arena were very different. Tien is ranked No. 121 and had a Grand Slam record of 0-3 before this week; Medvedev was seeded No. 5, won the 2021 US Open and finished second in three of the last four years, including 12 months ago at Melbourne Park.

Tien’s upset over Medvedev was the biggest upset of the men’s draw so far, according to betting odds, as Tien finished as a +400 underdog, according to ESPN Bet odds. However, the biggest surprise of this year’s tournament so far came in the women’s category when Laura Siegemund, a +1100 underdog according to ESPN Bet odds, defeated fifth seed Zheng Qinwen in the second round.

“I was definitely hoping there wouldn’t be a break in the fifth set with people staying out here. I know it’s late.

Because of the time difference, the game ended around 8 a.m. Thursday morning at home in California and he took the microphone to speak directly to his family – saying he hoped they would be on TV.

“I don’t know if my parents are still watching. … I love you. Thank you for always supporting me from all over the world,” Tien said. “I know you wish you could be here. I wish you could be here too.”

The left-handed Tien played fearlessly and almost error-free for long stretches and surprisingly also prevailed in longer exchanges of blows on the baseline: in the first two sets he won 32 of the 51 points that lasted nine or more strokes and even emerged victorious one with 45 shots and another with 32 shots.

Tien didn’t hesitate until he was on the precipice of what was by far his most important victory, giving himself a match point in the third set tiebreak when he took a 7-6 lead. But Medvedev canceled that out with a 122 mph (196 km/h) ace and finally converted his third set point shortly after 1 a.m. to then easily move into the fifth set.

Medvedev was penalized a point in the third set while showing the same signs of frustration that led to him destroying a tiny camera hanging in the net by throwing it during a surprisingly difficult five-set first-round win over Medvedev Hitting an opponent with his racket took 418th place.

After Tien fell behind 4-3 in the second set with a shot that landed on the baseline – not the only time he inflicted this on his 1.98 meter tall opponent – Medvedev threw his equipment towards him him across the field until he reached a billboard near his bench. In other moments of anger, Medvedev hit a ball against the backboard, knocked over a camera behind the baseline and hit his racket bag. He also expressed his displeasure that he picked up two consecutive foot faults in the second set tiebreak, resulting in a double fault.

This was Medvedev’s first tournament of the season – his wife recently gave birth to their second child – and he never really showed his best tennis. As he often does, the 28-year-old Russian changed his tactics to change the course of events, often forcing his way to the net at the start of the third set.

Some mistakes from Tien led Medvedev to a break of serve and a 4-3 lead in this set. But Tien broke right back and then held on for a 5-4 lead after Medvedev conceded a point.

Tien reached two junior Grand Slam singles finals in 2023, at the Australian Open and the US Open, and played a semester of college tennis in Southern California before turning professional this year.

He just turned 19 last month and is now the youngest man from the United States to make it this far at the Australian Open since the 18-year-old Sampras reached the fourth round in 1990. Later that year, Sampras won the US Open, the first of his 14 Grand Slam titles, ranking fourth overall among men in tennis history.

This game was the latest significant result for a teenager in Melbourne this year.

Tien, along with Joao Fonseca of Brazil and Martin Landaluce of Spain, became the first trio of teenagers to qualify for the men’s division at a major since Wimbledon in 2017. And then Fonseca, who defeated No. 9 Andrey Rublev and Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic, who defeated No. 6 Casper Ruud, became the first pair of teenagers since Novak Djokovic and Andy to be the top 10 men at the same Grand Slam tournament, Murray made it to Wimbledon in 2006.

Now Tien is in third place.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.