Entering the match with high form when winning 14 of his last 16 matches, Tien has a certain confidence, especially when he once defeated Zverev in the hard court tournament at Acapulco last year. However, at this year's Australian Open, Zverev showed careful preparation and achieved a near-perfect playing state in terms of serve.
The German player scored up to 24 aces, achieved a first serve rate of 72% and did not lose any serve games throughout the match. Zverev also successfully saved all 3 head-to-head break points, including an important set-point situation in set 4. The fact that the roof of the central court was closed due to hot weather further helped Zverev maximize his serve advantage.
Meanwhile, Learner Tien played patiently and showed clear progress in long sets, making good use of the horizontal area of the court to create a playing angle. The player born in 2005 caused many difficulties for Zverev in set 2, when he came back to win a tie-break despite being led. However, the "free" points from Zverev's serve games made Tien greatly disadvantaged in creating a dominant game.
This victory helped Zverev reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the 10th time in his career. The 28-year-old tennis player is showing high form at the Australian Open 2026, after successively defeating Francisco Cerundolo and Learner Tien - opponents who both defeated him last season.
Despite stopping, Learner Tien still had a successful Australian Open. The No. 25 seed became the youngest player to reach the quarterfinals of this tournament since Nick Kyrgios in 2015, and also the youngest US player to reach the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam since Andy Roddick at the 2001 US Open.
