Takeaways from Tien & Jovic's 2026 Australian Open breakthroughs

“I think match by match I just got a little bit better,” said Tien, seeded No. 25 and a former Australian Open boys’ finalist. “So super happy with how I was kind of progressing through the tournament.”

Both Americans leveraged 2025’s quick ascent into tangible progress on Australian hard courts.

Ranked outside the Top 120 a year ago, Tien went one round better than his fourth round (and best Grand Slam) showing here last year. He later won his maiden ATP Tour title at Metz and climbed into the Top 30. That improvement showed in a third-round shredding of Daniil Medvedev on Sunday when he dropped only seven games. Tien needed a fifth-set tiebreaker to beat the then-world No. 5 12 months ago.

Zverev, who split two previous matches with Tien in 2025, was full of praise for the Southern California southpaw who started working with former French Open champion Michael Chang last summer.

“I felt like I didn't have a spot on the court where I could just hit the ball and I felt like I was out of danger,” said Zverev of Tien’s improvement.

“Yeah, hell of a player right now,” he added.

Physically, Gutteridge acknowledged Jovic wasn’t quite at 100% after a long stretch of matches, but stressed that the heavy schedule—and even playing doubles in Melbourne—was part of long-term development.

“At 18 years old, these are exactly the matches you want so you can see what the next level really looks like,” he said.

Following his defeat, Tien said his lapse after winning the second-set tiebreaker from 3-5 down reflected the kind of experience he is still building, especially against a player like three-time Grand Slam finalist Zverev. He added that moments like this matter as much as titles at this point in his career because they accelerate his long-term development.

“It only sets me up better for the future,” Tien said.

Perhaps Jovic’s most impressive personal takeaway from the tournament is her deepening connection with her idol, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

They first met at last year’s Wimbledon, and interacted again earlier at the Australian Open, where Djokovic offered a few pieces of tactical advice and encouragement. That blossomed, she said Tuesday.

“He did text me with some more tips throughout the rounds,” beamed Jovic, whose father is from Serbia and mother is from Croatia. “So we've been in communication, and I feel like we've built a little bit of a relationship now, which is amazing.”

Over time, she added, she hopes to emulate the way Djokovic can “suffocate opponents” with his offense, defense and end-to-end intensity.

“I think the way he goes about the game is very impressive,” she said.

Anyone who watched Jovic and Tien this fortnight would say the same about their approach to the sport. After raising their respective profiles, both rising stars are already looking ahead at further climbing the professional ladder.

“It just really sets me up to come back, come back and be even better the next time I play,” Tien said.