Can anyone stop Student Ten?
That wasn’t a question anyone expected to ask when the Australian Open started, but it can certainly be asked now. After all, the twenty-year-old American completely destroyed three-time Aussie Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 in the fourth round.
Another former Melbourne finalist, Alexander Zverev, gets his next crack at Tien in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. This is their third meeting after splitting the first two last season. Tien won 6-3, 6-4 on the hard courts of Acapulco before Zverev dominated a match on clay 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 at Roland Garros.
The proverbial rubber match should be a good one as both boys have been excellent so far these fortnight.
Tien needed five sets in the first round against compatriot Marcos Giron, but he has won eight sets in a row on his way to the quarter-finals after ousting Medvedev, Alexander Shevchenko and Nuno Borges. During this period, the world number 29 has spent two bagels and a breadstick, and only one set – a tiebreak against Borges – was more competitive than 6-4.
Zverev opened with four-set wins over Gabriel Diallo, Alexandre Muller and Cameron Norrie before beating Francisco Cerundolo 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday. The third-ranked German is now 35-11 in Melbourne with one runner-up finish (last year), two semi-final tries and one quarter-final result.
While the head-to-head result on clay can be thrown out the window as Tien is a novice on that terrain, this is still a match that should go in Zverev’s favor. First off, the 28-year-old absolutely possesses left-handed skills. He is an incredible 38-1 in his last 39 games against lefties. Additionally, Rod Laver Arena plays slower than the other courts. Zverev has the firepower to weather these conditions; Not ten. Finally, this is Zverev’s 40th Grand Slam quarter-final; it’s Ten’s first.
The underdog will almost certainly make this competitive given how well he’s playing, but Zverev should push on.
Choice: Zverev and 4
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