Mumbai: A lighthearted remark made on Tuesday nearly became a reality for Daniil Medvedev on Thursday. The world No. 5 required five sets to overcome Kasidit Samrej of Thailand, who is ranked 418th, in their opening match at the Australian Open on January 14.

“I know I perform better when I play more tennis,” Medvedev had joked. “So why play for just one hour and thirty minutes? I need at least three hours to better feel my shots.”

On Thursday, he faced 19-year-old American Learner Tien, currently ranked 121st in the world. The young player took the first two sets, putting Medvedev in a challenging position. However, true to his earlier statement, the Russian began to regain his rhythm. He secured a closely contested third set after saving a match point and dominated the fourth set.

Medvedev appeared to be returning to form, but when it was time to serve for the match, Tien proved to be more effective.

In only his second fifth-set match of his young career, Tien achieved a significant upset by defeating the former US Open champion and last year’s Australian Open finalist with a score of 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-7(8), 1-6, 7-6(10-7).

“I was really hoping it wouldn’t go to a fifth-set tiebreaker, but regardless, I’m thrilled to have won,” Tien stated during the on-court interview following the match at the Margaret Court Arena. “I realize I made it more difficult than it needed to be.”

The match lasted four hours and 49 minutes, concluding just before 3 AM local time, with both players struggling to maintain consistency. Tien recorded 53 winners compared to Medvedev’s 52, while the unforced errors were notable, with Tien committing 79 and Medvedev slightly higher at 82.

Yet, when faced with adversity and a lack of precision, Tien consistently finds a way to prevail, as noted by his coach Eric Diaz. In his first-round match against Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Tien recorded 16 double faults—equivalent to four games—but still managed to win in five sets.

“The kid is a winner, and he discovers various ways to succeed,” Diaz remarked.

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