Medvedev outlasts Tien to advance to quarterfinals at Shanghai Masters

Russia's Daniil Medvedev edged the USA's Learner Tien 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 6-4 in a grueling 173-minute showdown to advance to the men's singles quarterfinals at the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Shanghai Masters on Wednesday, beating the 19-year-old American for the first time in three meetings this season.

Tien had his serve broken by Medvedev in the ninth game of the first set, but immediately broke back in the 10th. Each player then saved break points to hold in their final service games, bringing up a tiebreaker that was closely-contested as well. With the extra session level at 6-6, the 29-year-old Russian converted back-to-back points to put it away.

The 2019 event winner Medvedev jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, only to watch Tien respond with poise, claiming five games on the bounce to take control. After heading into another tiebreaker, Medvedev conceded the frame when he was all-but-immobilized by cramps in his right leg that required medical treatment.

Both players opted for cautious approaches in the decider, finding themselves knotted at 4-4 after eight games. The 2021 US Open champion Medvedev then converted a crucial break in the ninth, before holding to close out the proceedings and avoid a third consecutive defeat against Tien.

"I think the toughest part was that we played two times [before], and in my opinion, he is an unbelievable player, because he doesn't have a great serve, and serve is so important in tennis," the former World No. 1 said. "Without the serve, he is 19 years old and 30-something in the world, and only going up. In my opinion, he is such a good tennis player."

Medvedev's opponent in the quarterfinals will be World No. 7 Alex de Minaur, who swept past Portugal's Nuno Borges 7-5, 6-2. That made the Australian the third player to reach 50 wins on the ATP Tour this season, after Spain's top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz (67) and the USA's World No. 4 Taylor Fritz (50).