MELBOURNE, Australia — Learner Tien, a 19-year-old qualifier from California, defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 to become the first player since Pete Sampras in 1990 (Pete Sampras) Youngest American man to reach Australian Open third round since (4), 6-7 (8), 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a game that begins Thursday night and ends early Friday morning.

A lot happened in the 4 hours and 49 minutes of the game, including - incredibly - heavy rain causing a six-minute delay shortly before 2:30 a.m., with Tian playing at 5-a-side, 15-a-side Center serve. The fifth set. When the match resumed, Medvedev broke and won 6-5, but Tenn didn't give up anything, broke back and forced a decider at around 3am (around two o'clock). Hours later, he failed to convert his initial match point.

"In general, belief is a big thing for success and winning. I always believe on the court that I have a chance to win," Tian said. He showed up at the press conference holding a white cardboard box containing pepperoni pizza. "I'm not trying to think of this game as more important than any other game I've been in. I'm just trying to go out and have fun and see what I can do."

As for postgame snacks, he said, "It's either a celebration or a binge, like coping. Of course, it feels better to be more celebratory."

The result was surprising given the huge gap between the two players' experience and achievements at Margaret Court Arena. Tenn was ranked 121st before this week and had a career Grand Slam record of 0-3; Medvedev is the No. 5 seed, won the 2021 U.S. Open and has won the 12th in three of the past four years. months ago) finished runner-up at Melbourne Park.

"It's definitely harder than it could have been, but, no matter what," Tian said on the court afterwards, before telling the crowd: "I really appreciate you all staying here. I know it's too late. I didn't know what happened What’s the time.”

According to ESPN BET odds, Tien's upset of Medvedev was the biggest betting odds-on upset to date in the men's draw, with Tien finishing as a +400 underdog. However, the biggest upset so far in this year's event came on the women's side, as underdog Laura Siegemund, who has ESPN BET odds of +1100, defeated fifth seed Zheng Qinwen in the second round.

"I definitely hope it doesn't go into a fifth set break... It's definitely harder than it could have been, but, no matter what," Tian said, before telling the crowd: "I really appreciate all of you guys Guys, I know it's late now."

Due to the time difference, the game ended around 8 a.m. Thursday, and back home in California, he took a microphone and spoke directly to his family — he said he hoped they could listen on television.

"I don't know if my parents are still watching... I love you guys. Thank you for always supporting me from all over the world," Tian said. "I know you wish you could be here. I wish you could be here too."

The left-handed Tian was fearless and nearly flawless in the long game, and surprisingly, he had better results in lengthy encounters at the baseline: In the first two sets, he was on a streak of nine or more shots. The pole won 32 out of 51 points, even lasting 45 shots in one and 32 in the other.

Tien didn't blink until he held match point when leading 7-6 in the third set tie-break to claim his most important victory to date. But Medvedev erased that with a 122-mph ace, eventually converting his third set point just after 1 a.m. before comfortably pushing the match into a fifth set.

Medvedev showed the same signs of frustration when he was penalized a point in the third set, leading him to hit a small camera hanging on the net with his racket during a surprisingly difficult five-set match. destroyed it. The opponent is ranked 418th.

Trailing 4-3 in the second set, Tenn was broken and a lob landed on the baseline - not the only time he'd done it against his 6-foot-6 opponent - May Dvedev threw his gear toward the sideline, skidding it across the field until it reached a billboard near his bench. In other angry moments, Medvedev hit the ball against the back wall, knocked down a camera behind the baseline and punched his racket bag. He also expressed dissatisfaction with being whistled for two consecutive foot errors that resulted in a double fault in the second-set tiebreaker.

It was Medvedev's first match 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 tactics in an attempt to change the course of the match, pushing forward frequently early in the third set.

Some mistakes by Tenn allowed Medvedev to get a serve in the set and lead 4-3. But Tian En counterattacked from the right, and Medvedev led 5-4 after scoring a point.

Tian reached two junior Grand Slam singles finals at the Australian Open and U.S. Open in 2023 and played a semester of college tennis in Southern California before turning pro that year.

He turned 19 last month and is now the youngest American to do so at the Australian Open since 18-year-old Sampras reached the fourth round in 1990. Sampras won the U.S. Open later that year, the first of his 14 Grand Slam titles, the fourth-highest total among men in tennis history. Tenn Michelson and Alex Michelson are the first American men's pair aged 20 or younger to advance to the third round of a major since 2003, and the first since 1990. to the pair who advanced at the Australian Open.

Thien's match with Medvedev is the latest major achievement for Melbourne teenagers this year.

Tenn joins Brazil's Joao Fonseca and Spain's Martin Landalus as the first trio of teenagers to qualify and enter the men's division of a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2017 Group. Fonseca then defeated ninth-ranked Andrei Rublev and Jakub Mencik of the Czech Republic, who beat sixth-ranked Casper Ruud to become the first pair to win in the same Grand Slam. No teenage pair has beaten the top ten men in a championship since Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray did it at Wimbledon in 2006.

Now Tian has made three points. He called Fonseca and Mencik's approach "absolutely very inspiring."

This report used information from The Associated Press.