The hero of the day in Melbourne, no matter how it ends, is American Lerner Thien - in just 100 minutes he eliminated Daniil Medvedev for the quarterfinals of the Australian Open - 6:4, 6:0, 6:3.
Tijen eliminated Med last year, but after four hours of play, he wished on camera today after the match that the draw would separate them next year. That's what Medo would have wished for himself after being outclassed by the 20-year-old left-hander.
Medo is a former world number one, a Grand Slam winner, and for the first time since 2020, he was in a set with zero, suffering his second-heaviest defeat, as he only won seven games against Marin Čilić at Roland Garros in 2022.
The ratio of winners to errors for the 29th ranked player on the ATP, Tien, was 33/16, while the 12th ranked player, Medvedev, was 15/30.
Tien is the first American among the eight in Melbourne since 2002, and his triumph was welcomed by Alexander Zverev, who has no solution for Medvedev's style. Tien's rival will be German Zverev, who defeated the 21st player in the world, Argentine Francisco Serundolo - 6:2, 6:4, 6:4.
The world's third-ranked tennis player won after two hours and 12 minutes.
Bonus video:
