Vietnamese-American tennis player Learner Tien shocked fans at the 2025 Australian Open when he bested three-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev to reach the tournament’s third round with a 3-2 victory late Thursday night (Australia time).

Nineteen-year-old Learner Tien’s tournament run was expected to come to an end in the second round against fifth-ranked Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev.

But the young American, ranked 121st, surprised everyone with his tenacity and drive throughout the entire five hour-match against Medvedev. 

Tien took early control of the match, winning the first two sets 6-3 and 7-6, but Medvedev quickly showed his resilience, winning the next two sets 7-6, 6-1, and leveling the match at 2-2.

Though Medvedev seemed set for a comeback, Tien dug deep and managed to hold him to a 6-6 draw in the fifth set. Tien then clinched the match with a 10-7 victory in the tiebreaker, winning 3-2.

“He may be called Learner, but he played like a master,” sports commentator Simon Reed declared after Tien’s victory.

“A new star, Learner Tien, what a talent, what a character, and what guts he showed. 

“He has taken out the three-time finalist.”

Tien’s victory makes him the youngest American male to reach the third round of the Australian Open since the legendary Pete Sampras did so at age 18 in 1990.

Tien’s parents gave him a name they felt connected him to his mother’s work as a math teacher. 

His sister, Justice, was named for their father’s career as a lawyer.

Tien began playing tennis as a toddler and won his first tournament at the Irvine Tennis Club when he was just five years old.

The 2025 Australian Open began on January 12 and will run till January 26 in Melbourne, Australia.

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