It’s deja vu in Australia.
A year later, the southpaw Tien faces Medvedev again in Melbourne, this time on Sunday in a fourth-round match.
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The 20-year-old is aiming for the same result, which would mean a place in the quarterfinals.
Medvedev lost the first two sets to beat Fabian Farozsan in five on Friday, the fifth time at a Grand Slam event he has won 0-2 down.
“I think it’s pretty crazy that we end up playing here again a year later,” Tien said after beating Nuno Borges to advance at the Australian Open.
None of this is new for Tien, who is once again aiming to reach the quarter-finals in Australia.
After beating Medvedev last year, Tien lost in the fourth round against Italian Lorenzo Sonego, denying him a place in the quarterfinals.
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The Tien-Medvedev match in Australia a year ago ended around 2:30 am. It was so late that Tien arrived at the press conference with a pepperoni pizza for an early morning snack before dawn.
“I remember being very happy,” he said Friday. “My mind was in a million places.”
Incredibly, this will be the fourth time the two have met, and Tien has a 2-1 lead. They also split a pair of ATP Tour matches in China in 2025.
“We’ve played three times. I mean, they’ve all been wars,” Tien said.
Tien described himself as an improved player from a year ago, which is reflected in his 25th place finish in the tournament. Medvedev is No. 11 and, with a US Open title in 2021 and a three-time finalist in Australia, has a deeper resume. Although the 29-year-old Russian is only now getting back into his groove after losing in the first round at the other three majors last year.
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“I think being able to play more games at this level has been really important for me,” Tien said. “Just getting to go out and experience these different matchups that I haven’t had before, having to get through the ups and downs has been huge for me.”
Although he could enjoy a quick match, the promising Californian said he doesn’t expect it.
“We both don’t give up a lot of free points,” Tien said. “I think that naturally makes rallies and games very long. Neither of us make it easy for our opponents. So naturally, we don’t make it easy for each other.”
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