Welcome to This Week in Tennis, where we catch up on all the latest and biggest stories from the ATP and WTA Tours.
Tien Crashes the Party in Men’s Draw
Learner Tien is making a name for himself at Melbourne Park.
The 20-year-old became the youngest man to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals in 11 years following his dominant 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 win over Daniil Medvedev on Sunday.
Tien also became the youngest American man to reach the final eight at a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick made the quarter-final at the 2002 US Open.
"It feels amazing, it is so special to do it here," Tien said after the match. "It is so special to come back here and play every year, and it was a big goal of mine [to play well here], and I am super happy.”
Tien, the 25th seed, is the only player outside the Top 10 to reach the final eight in this year’s draw. No. 7 Félix Auger-Aliassime, who retired in his first-round match against Nuno Borges, is the only Top 8 seed who did not reach the quarter-finals, which are scheduled to begin Monday night with Tien’s match against No. 3 Alexander Zverev.
The other quarter-final matches in the men’s draw are: Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Alex de Minaur (6), Lorenzo Musetti (5) vs. Novak Djokovic (4), and Jannik Sinner (2) vs. Ben Shelton (8).
Read also: Djokovic wins 100th match at Australian Open
New Women’s Champ to be Crowned
Madison Keys will not be defending her title this year in Melbourne after falling to fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-4 in the round of 16.
Pegula advances to another all-American matchup against fourth-seeded Amanda Anisimova as she looks to win her first Grand Slam title. The sixth-seeded Pegula reached the final at the 2024 US Open but fell to Aryna Sabalenka.
The women’s draw will also feature a fresh face, as 18-year-old Iva Jovic reached the final eight with an emphatic 6-0, 6-1 win over Yulia Putintseva. She is the youngest American woman to reach the quarters in Melbourne since Venus Williams in 1998 and has done so without dropping a set. She will now face off against No. 1 Sabalenka in the next round.
The quarter-final matches in the women’s draw are: Sabalenka (1) vs. Jovic (29), Coco Gauff (3) vs. Elina Svitolina (12), Pegula (6) vs. Anisimova (4), and Iga Swiatek (2) vs. Elena Rybakina (5).
Read also: Celebrating Milos Raonic’s Groundbreaking Career
Mboko Falls to Sabalenka in Fourth Round
Canadian Victoria Mboko reached the fourth round in her Australian Open debut, but fell to Sabalenka 6-1, 7-6 (1) on Saturday night.
The 19-year-old dropped the first set 6-1 and trailed 4-1 in the second before forcing a tiebreak that the world No. 1 would easily win. It was the 20th consecutive tiebreak victory for Sabalenka, the longest such streak in the Open Era.
“What an incredible player for such a young age. It’s so great to see all these young kids coming up on tour. I can’t believe I’m saying that, I feel like I’m still a kid, but whatever,” Sabalenka said of Mboko after the win. “I’m super happy with the win. She pushed me so much, and I’m happy to be through.”
Read also: Mboko Eliminated by Sabalenka in Australian Open Fourth Round
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The WTA's best return to Toronto next summer for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers Aug 1 to 13 at Sobeys Stadium. Get your tickets today!
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Feature Photo: WTA Tour
