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Tien & Williams win 2023 Australian Open boys' doubles title; Tien runner-up in singles

Arthur Kapetanakis | January 29, 2023


Learner Tien and Cooper Williams continued the recent tradition of American junior success at the Australian Open by winning the boys' doubles title on Friday in Melbourne. One day later, Tien came within two points of completing a trophy sweep, but ultimately collected the runner-up plate for his efforts in the singles event.

 

In the doubles final, Tien and Williams defeated top seeds Alexander Blockx and Joao Fonseca, 6-4, 6-4, with both Americans earning their maiden Grand Slam crown. Blockx was also across the net from Tien in the singles title match, which the third-seeded Belgian won by a 6-1, 2-6, 7-6(9) scoreline in Rod Laver Arena.

The thrilling singles final was decided by a 10-point tiebreak that was knotted at 9-9 before the third-seeded Blockx won the final two points.

 

Tien enjoyed the better of the final set, creating the only four break points in the decider. But the unseeded American fell just short in the breaker, saving two match points before Block converted his third chance with a big serve.

 

Unseeded in Melbourne, 2022 USTA Boys' 18s national champion Tien reached the final with the loss of just one set, losing just 24 games; that run included a 6-0, 6-3 opening win over No. 7 seed Hayato Matsuoka of Japan, and a 6-0, 6-0 quarterfinal victory over second-seeded Bulgarian Iliyan Radulov in just 40 minutes. He came from a set down in his Round 2 win over Italy's Federico Cina.

Tien was bidding to become the third American to win the Australian Open boys' singles title since 2018. Sebastian Korda—a Melbourne men's quarterfinalist this year—won the junior event five years ago, followed by a 2022 triumph for Bruno Kuzuhara. Emilio Nava also reached the final in 2019, falling to Italy's Lorenzo Musetti in a third-set tiebreak. Kuzuhara also won the AO doubles title last year with Coleman Wong of Hong Kong.

 

Tien and Williams are the first all-American team to lift the Melbourne junior crown since Americans accomplished the feat in consecutive years in 2003 (Scott Oudsema and Phillip Simmonds) and 2004 (Oudesma and Brendan Evans).

 

It has been a perfect start to 2023 for Tien and Williams, who won an ITF junior event in TraralgonAustralia to kick off the new year. They are 10-0 as a pair this month.

 

Both Americans vaulted to new career highs behind their Melbourne singles and doubles runs. Tien is up 22 spots to junior world No. 5, while Williams stands at No. 11 after earning his first major singles wins to reach the third round.

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