Pro Media & News

Iva Jovic & Learner Tien among 6 Americans in Australian Open singles QFs

Arthur Kapetanakis | January 26, 2026

After the Australian Open started with a combined 40 Americans in the men's and women's singles draws, it's no surprise to see the U.S. well represented in the tournament's later stages. Six Americans—four women and two men—are through to the quarterfinal round, the most at a major since eight (five women, three men) at the 2002 US Open.

 

The nation's three highest-ranked women—world No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova and No. 6 Jessica Pegula—have all lived up to their billing by reaching the last eight. Ditto for American No. 1 and world No. 7 Ben Shelton on the men's side.

With all but Pegula under the age of 25, the present and future of American tennis is shining bright among that group. A pair of maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal showings for the 18-year-old Iva Jovic and 20-year-old Learner Tien adds to the glow.

 

Jovic is the youngest American to reach the Aussie Open quarters without dropping a set since Venus Williams 1998, while Tien is the youngest American man to reach the quarters at a Slam since Andy Roddick at the 2002 US Open.

 

Both are seeded for the first time at a major. While Tien made his initial Grand Slam breakout by reaching the fourth round last year in Melbourne, Jovic had never been beyond the second round in five previous majors.

 

"I definitely exceeded my hopes and expectations for this tournament, so hopefully I can keep the winning going," Jovic said after a 6-0, 6-1 drumming of Yulia Putintseva on Sunday.

Iva Jovic advanced to the Australian Open quarterfinals without losing a set. Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

If expectations were raised by her 6-2, 7-6(3) upset of two-time major finalist Jasmine Paolini in the third round, the emphatic follow-up put her in the conversation as a title contender. The spotlight will only grow when she takes on world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarters.

 

"It's difficult, especially at a Slam," Jovic said of resetting after those attention-grabbing wins. "There is a lot of people and a lot of things outside the tennis with all the media and the fans and everything. So it's kind of hard to get back down to earth."

 

Read more: Jovic 'belongs' at AO

 

Further fueling a sense of surrealism was a conversation with Novak Djokovic prior to her third-round match. The Serb has kept a close eye on the progress of Jovic, who has a Serbian father and speaks the language at home with both parents.

 

"It was pretty incredible. He gave me some very attentive tips for my game and something I can try to incorporate into this match that I just played," Jovic shared after the advice helped her beat Paolini.

 

"It was just to open up the court a little bit better, to not rush into the shots all the time, find some more width. So I tried to do that, and it ended well. So I'm just going to try to keep listening to Novak."

 

Tien might just meet Djokovic on the court if he keeps up his world-beating form—thought that potential matchup would not come until the final.

Learner Tien upset Daniil Medvedev for the second straight year at the Australian Open. Photo by Izhar Khan/AFP via Getty Images.

In one of the best matches of his young career, Tien dismantled 2021 US Open champ Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round. He won 11 consecutive games midway through a 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 rout that felt even more lopsided than the shocking score suggests.

 

"Towards the third [set], I started to look back a little bit and almost be a bit surprised in how long I had been able to keep my momentum going for," said Tien, whose biggest obstacle was a nosebleed in the third game.

 

Tien announced himself to the tennis world by edging Medvedev in a fifth-set tiebreak last year in the AO third round. His utter dominance in this rematch was arguably even more surprising.

 

"I feel like I have a lot more experience now. I mean, I have only had a year since then, but that's a lot more than I had then," the American reflected. "So I think just the mental clarity in some of these moments, knowing how to handle matches like these a little bit better makes a really big difference."

Next up for Tien is a showdown with returning Melbourne finalist Alexander Zverev, a player he also beat during his breakout 2025 season. That matchup will take place Monday night in the U.S. (Tuesday afternoon in Melbourne), after Jovic takes on Sabalenka. Both matches will be played in Rod Laver Arena.

 

Read more: Tien reflects on early success

 

No matter what happens in the quarterfinal round, at least one American will be in the semifinals: Anisimova and Pegula will meet for a place in the final four on Wednesday in Melbourne.

Skip Advertisement

Advertisement

Related Articles