Alexander Zverev secures place in Australian Open semi-finals with win over Learner Tien

Last year’s finalist Alexander Zverev made it to the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Tuesday by beating young American Learner Tien. The German player won 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) and will next face either world number one Carlos Alcaraz or home favourite Alex de Minaur.Zverev, the world’s third-ranked player, is yet to win his first Grand Slam title at the age of 28. He finished last year’s tournament as a finalist, losing to Jannik Sinner, and has also been a runner-up at the US Open in 2020 and the French Open in 2024. “Without my aces, I probably would not have won today,” Zverev said, hitting 24 aces and committing just one double fault on match point."Learner off the baseline was playing unbelievable," he added. "The way he is playing is incredible."The match was held under a closed roof at Rod Laver Arena due to forecasted heat of 45°C. Tien, 20, was the youngest and lowest-ranked player remaining in the men’s draw and was playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final.Zverev started strong, breaking Tien to take the first set 6-3. Tien fought back in the second, taking a tiebreak 7-5 to level the match. Zverev then dominated the third set 6-1, before Tien again pushed him in the fourth, even holding a set point at 6-5. Zverev recovered and won the tiebreak 7-3 to secure victory.The win shows Zverev’s experience at major tournaments and keeps his hopes alive of finally winning a Grand Slam.