Daniil Medvedev sets up Australian Open clash with Learner Tien, saying “he must hate to play me” after a dramatic five-set comeback victory.
DANILL Medvedev has set up a last-16 Australian Open showdown with Learner Tien, renewing a rivalry where the American holds a recent edge.
The Russian three-time finalist advanced with a dramatic 6-7 (5/7), 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, 6-3 comeback victory over Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan.
Medvedev acknowledged the challenge posed by the 20-year-old Tien, who beat him twice in their three meetings last year.
ALSO READ: Alcaraz marks 100th Grand Slam with Australian Open win
“The thing is that I kind of don’t like to play him, but he must hate to play me as well,” said the former world number one.
He anticipates “long, brutal rallies” in Sunday’s match at Melbourne Park.
Medvedev’s victory marked the fifth time in his career he has recovered from a two-set deficit.
“It was a very tough match,” said the 2021 US Open champion.
He expressed satisfaction at keeping his volatile temper under control throughout the gruelling three-hour, 43-minute encounter.
“I did manage to stay calm, even in the fifth set and managed to hit some good shots even in the fifth,” Medvedev said.
Marozsan, ranked 47th, was bidding to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
The Hungarian edged a tight first-set tiebreak and seized control by taking the second set 6-4.
Medvedev, who vowed to be more “positive” this season, then mounted his characteristic fightback.
He won the third set 7-5 before racing through the fourth set without dropping a game in just 19 minutes.
The deciding set saw both players struggle on serve before Medvedev finally clinched victory.
“Five sets again,” he wrote on the on-court camera afterwards.
Tien, the 25th seed, kept his side of the bargain by beating Portugal’s Nuno Borges in straight sets.
Their most notable previous meeting was a five-set marathon in the first round of last year’s Australian Open, which Tien won as a teenage qualifier.
Medvedev, a runner-up in Melbourne in 2021, 2022 and 2024, said he will try to enjoy the game.
“Of course, try to do my best to maybe surprise him somewhere,” he added. – AFP
