Daniil Medvedev weathers cramps to score first win over Learner Tien in Shanghai

“I don’t want to leave [the] best city in the world yet,” Daniil Medvedev declared to the Rolex Shanghai Masters’ camera lens on Wednesday.

🖥️📲The Match in 15 Minutes: Daniil Medvedev def. Learner Tien, Shanghai 4R

The former world No. 1 isn’t going anywhere after navigating a 7-6 (6), 6-7 (1), 6-4 tussle with Learner Tien, scoring his first win over the American in three tries to reach his third Masters 1000 quarterfinal of the season.

Medvedev lost his first two meetings to Tien this season, including a five-set thriller in the second round of the Australian Open. He nearly lost a third when he was struck down by cramps at the start of the second-set tiebreaker, but recovered in time to close out his teenaged nemesis in two hours and 52 minutes on Stadium Court.

The 2021 US Open champion has been in a soul-searching mode since losing in the first round of his last three major outings, the nadir coming in a five-set flameout to Benjamin Bonzi in Flushing Meadows.

Following a second straight defeat to the Frenchman, Medvedev parted with longtime coach Gilles Cervara and hired Thomas Johansson—himself a former Grand Slam champion.

Medvedev has trended up since making the switch, reaching the China Open semifinals and eased through his first two matches as the No. 16 seed in Shanghai.

Standing between him and the last eight was Tien, who has also enjoyed a strong run this fall—scoring a second win over Medvedev en route to a runner-up finish in Beijing. The 19-year-old battled through a pair of three-setters to start the week and knocked out No. 30 seed Cameron Norrie in straight sets to book the rematch with Medvedev.

Determined to avoid an 0-3 head-to-head, Medvedev saved a set point in the opening set and weathered a topsy-turvy tiebreaker to put himself a set from victory.

More momentum shifts followed in the second set, with Tien winning five straight games from 0-3 down, only to lose three more games in a row as Medvedev stood meters from the finish line.

Physical issues complicated the match from there, Unable to take a medical timeout for cramps without forfeiting the ensuing tiebreaker, Medvedev struggled through the Sudden Death anyway, looking to shorten points due to his compromised movement. With Tien leveling the match at one set apiece, Medvedev railed against umpire Mohamed Layhani for a time violation earlier in the match and whinged at coach Johansson, who encouraged his charge to be more aggressive.

The pair traded service holds until Medvedev indeed stepped in to claim the lone break of the decider, serving out the match and extending his stay in Shanghai.

His next opponent will be No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur, who eased past Portugal’s Nuno Borges in straight sets earlier in the afternoon.