Overcoming physical limits, Medvedev defeated Tien at Shanghai Masters

(Dan Tri) - Daniil Medvedev had to go through a dramatic and physically challenging match to overcome Learner Tien after 3 sets in the 4th round of the Shanghai Masters on the evening of October 8.

Shanghai Masters 2025 Quarterfinal Schedule

October 9th

Holger Rune - Valentin Vacherot (14h)

Zizou Bergs - Novak Djokovic (5:30 p.m.)

October 10th

Alex De Minaur - Daniil Medvedev (14h)

Arthur Rinderknech - Felix Auger-Aliassime (5:30 p.m.)

The Russian tennis player showed incredible resilience when recovering from a serious cramp at the end of the second set, before defeating his Vietnamese opponent with a score of 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 6-4 in a confrontation that lasted nearly three hours.

This victory was even more meaningful because just 8 days earlier, Medvedev had to retire in the deciding set of the China Open semi-final against Tien because of cramps. This time, the former world No. 1 overcame his physical limitations to win a ticket to the quarter-finals.

Medvedev tried very hard to play after suffering from cramps (Photo: Getty).

“The hardest thing is that we played twice before, and in my opinion he is an incredible player,” Medvedev said. “He doesn’t have a strong serve, which is very important in tennis. But he is only 19 and is still on the rise, but he plays like a player in his 30s. In my opinion, he is a very good player.”

Medvedev continued to analyze his opponent's style of play: "He felt the game very well. There are a lot of players right now who hit the ball very well with every serve, and they have great serves that keep them in the match. He doesn't have that, but he plays very well without it. I thought I was going to lose. I had cramps again, so I'm very happy to win."

The 2-hour, 53-minute match was full of surprises. Medvedev failed to close out the first set when he was up 5-4, but then won the tiebreak. The 16th seed went on to lead 3-0 in the second set, but Tien rallied to win the tiebreak when Medvedev was almost completely paralyzed by a cramp in his right leg.

It seemed like the 2019 Shanghai champion was out of the running, but Medvedev relaxed after the break and showed his usual aggressive style in the deciding set. Despite muttering to himself in frustration throughout the match, Medvedev decisively broke serve in the ninth game before serving out to secure his first win in three meetings with the 19-year-old Vietnamese-born opponent.

The confrontations between Medvedev and Tien always bring breathtaking drama. At the Australian Open, Tien excellently won the tense 5-set match, which ended at nearly 3 a.m. local time. Meanwhile, in Beijing and Shanghai, Medvedev had physical difficulties.

Young tennis player Tien could not stop Medvedev's rise (Photo: Getty).

With this victory, Medvedev has reached his third Masters 1000 quarterfinal of the season (after Indian Wells and Madrid). He will face No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur, who had previously defeated Nuno Borges 7-5, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/vuot-gioi-han-the-luc-medvedev-ha-guc-tien-o-thuong-hai-masters-20251008231932786.htm