Alexander Zverev stated he was playing without pain for the first time in 12 months after defeating young American Learner Tien to reach the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday.
Zverev delivered 24 aces
in a 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) victory. He will face either world number one Carlos Alcaraz or home favourite Alex de Minaur for a spot in the Melbourne final.
Ranked third in the world, Zverev is eager to secure his first Grand Slam title at the age of 28, having lost three major finals, including last year’s title match against Jannik Sinner.
After a challenging 2025 season marred by injuries and mental health struggles, Zverev managed to win just one title. He took a one-month break following a first-round loss at Wimbledon.
“The last 10 days I felt healthy and pain-free, which I haven’t experienced in a long time, probably in 12 months,” Zverev said after defeating Tien. “I feel happy on the court because I am playing pain-free and at a good level.”
The quarter-final was played under a closed roof at Rod Laver Arena to avoid the forecasted 45-degree Celsius temperatures outside.
At world number 29, Californian Tien was the lowest-ranked player remaining in the men’s draw. At 20 years old, he was also the youngest and was playing in the biggest match of his life, having never reached a major quarter-final before.
In contrast, Zverev is experienced in the latter stages of Grand Slams, though he has yet to win one of the four major tournaments. He was also a runner-up at the US Open in 2020 and the French Open in 2024.
The more experienced Zverev started stronger, breaking Tien for a 4-2 lead en route to winning the first set. Tien, who claimed his first ATP title in November and is coached by 1989 French Open champion Michael Chang, matched Zverev in the second set.
With serves dominating, they went to a tiebreak, where Zverev initially led 5-3. However, Tien fought back, showing resilience to level the match. The American had the crowd’s support, but Zverev’s serve proved too powerful as he surged to a 5-1 lead in the third set. Zverev breezed through the set in 28 minutes as Tien’s unforced errors increased.
With Chang vocally supporting him, Tien regrouped in the fourth set and had a set point at 6-5. Zverev, however, managed to escape trouble and forced another tiebreak. The German, with his serve in top form, raced through the tiebreak to secure victory in just three hours and 10 minutes.
“Without my aces, I probably would not have won today,” said Zverev, who committed just one double fault on match point. “Obviously, I’m very happy with my serve. Learner from the baseline was playing unbelievably. The way he is playing is incredible.”
(With Agency Inputs)
