Australian Open: Learner Tien Becomes Youngest Man to Reach Last 16 Since Nadal

MELBOURNE, Jan 18: Learner Tien, an American qualifier, has made history by becoming the youngest male player to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open in 20 years. He secured his spot by defeating a struggling Corentin Moutet with a score of 7-6(10) 6-3 6-3 on Saturday (January 18, 2025), continuing his remarkable journey at Melbourne Park. Just shy of his 19th birthday and currently ranked 121st in the world, Tien demonstrated his skill against the experienced Moutet, who faced issues with his upper left leg during the late afternoon match at Kia Arena. Tien’s victory came just two days after he achieved a stunning upset against former U.S. Open champion and three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling five-set match. This makes Tien the youngest male player to reach the fourth round since an 18-year-old Rafael Nadal did so in 2005.
“It feels great, obviously,” Tien expressed, adding that he will be facing unseeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego for a place in the quarter-finals. “This has exceeded my expectations for the week. You hope to win every match, but to advance to the second week is amazing.”
Various teenagers, including Brazilian Joao Fonseca and Czech Jakub Mensik, have also made their mark at Melbourne Park by eliminating top 10 seeds. However, Tien stands as the only teenager remaining in a second week filled with seasoned players, such as 37-year-old Novak Djokovic and 38-year-old Gael Monfils. Among American men, the only player younger than Tien to reach this stage in Melbourne was 18-year-old Pete Sampras.
Tien will not be alone in the fourth round, as fellow young American Alex Michelsen, just 20 years old, triumphed over Russian 2023 semi-finalist Karen Khachanov with a score of 6-3 7-6(5) 6-2, completing the match in two hours and 15 minutes at John Cain Arena. Michelsen, who previously upset 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening round, is now the youngest American to achieve multiple top 20 victories at a Grand Slam since Sampras and Andre Agassi at the 1990 U.S. Open. (Agencies)