Alexander Zverev reaches his 10th Grand Slam semi-final with aggressive serve-and-volley - detailed match report

Alexander Zverev went into the night clearly aiming to reach his tenth Grand Slam semi-final as the first men’s quarter-final of the 2026 Australian Open was played under the closed roof of Rod Laver Arena. Learner Tien entered the court as the youngest quarter-finalist at the Australian Open in the past eleven years.

The controlled conditions gave the match the unmistakable character of indoor tennis at the highest level, bringing the quality of serve, precise timing and mental stability even more into focus. With a place in the semi-finals at stake, Zverev and American Learner Tien were challenged not only by each other, but also by an environment that mercilessly punished hesitation and rewarded determination.

Alexander Zverev controlled the first set with serene authority, relying on stable service games and increasing return pressure at just the right moments to secure a 6:3 advantage. After four trouble-free service games to open the set, the German began to target Tien’s second serve more aggressively, increasingly forcing his opponent into shorter replies.

The decisive phase came at 2:2, when Zverev built sustained pressure with depth off the backhand and earned a clean break. He confirmed the advantage immediately, leaving no doubt with a commanding service game and consistently pinning Tien behind the baseline.

Tien competed well on his own serve and initially prevented the set from slipping away early. But Zverev did not allow his break advantage to slip. At 5:3, he served out the set with vigour, landing his first serves reliably and taking control of the rallies early to close it out without further drama.

The second set unfolded without breaks for a long stretch. Both players held serve confidently, with Alexander Zverev already moving into double figures for aces. For a long time, everything pointed towards a tie-break.

In the decisive phase, however, small cracks appeared in both games for the first time. Learner Tien missed a break opportunity at 3:4, as did Zverev in the following game at 4:4. As a result, the set had to be decided in a tie-break.

A sensational rally developed at 4:2 for Zverev — a point that would set the tone for the rest of the set. The German drove Tien from corner to corner before opting to stop. Tien responded with a brilliant forward chip into the corner, before Zverev’s next shot was easily volleyed away. Instead of 5:2, it was suddenly 4:3.

An unforced error from Tien handed Zverev the lead again at 5:3, but what followed left even the German stunned. Tien flipped the momentum and the set, playing with impressive determination to win the tie-break 7:5. The match was level again — and Zverev will likely still wonder how that set slipped away.

One thing must be made clear, though: Zverev was by no means passive. Learner Tien simply played an outstanding tie-break — courageous, creative and mentally strong — one that more than deserved to be admired.

How would Alexander Zverev respond to this mental setback in the third set? There was a brief moment of irritation directed toward his father and brother in the stands, but ultimately the conclusion was simple: Learner Tien had been the better player in the tie-break.

Zverev regrouped, found his focus again — and did so impressively. Tien fended off the first break point with an ace to make it 3:1, but the second chance proved decisive, as an outstanding return opened the door for Zverev.

From that point on, things went rapidly downhill for the American. A second break followed without Tien winning a single point, and the Hamburg native pulled away unassailably. Within moments, Zverev had surged to a 5:1 lead.

Tien began to make more errors and his level dropped significantly. Zverev left nothing to chance, serving out the third set with aplomb to claim it 6:1. The Australian crowd could only watch as the German’s Adidas camp celebrated jubilantly from the sidelines.

Learner Tien, coached by Michael Chang, faced a renewed challenge in the fourth set. He won his opening service game confidently, but Zverev immediately matched him, staying true to the serve-and-volley tactics that had worked so well in the third.

At 1:1, the match went to deuce for the first time on Tien’s serve, but the young American held firm. During this phase, Zverev repeatedly addressed the umpire, apparently troubled by the lighting during rallies.

Still, the German remained composed. He avoided unnecessary risks, left the spectacular points to his opponent, and held serve to level at 2:2 — again aided by one or two aces.

In the fifth game, a series of double faults from Tien was followed by an ace to make it 30:30. Then came a remarkable running forehand from Zverev, finished with a brilliant down-the-line winner to earn break point. But Tien, who struggled with double faults throughout the set, served his way out of danger once more.

Zverev responded with three aces in a single game to level the set at 3:3. Nineteen aces after two hours and forty minutes — not a bad statistic.

“Full commitment on the returns,” Michael Chang whispered to his protégé as Zverev served at 4:4. Easier said than done, as the German was operating at 75 percent service efficiency at that stage.

Nevertheless, a tenth ace of the set gave the 20-year-old a 5:4 lead after deuce. A few unnecessary errors from Zverev then caused visible unrest in the German camp. Fatigue may have been setting in, while the American looked marginally fresher and moved ahead 6:5 with another inspired service game.

A visibly flushed Zverev fell behind 15:30 in the next game. A long rally followed, which the German narrowly won. One thing was clear: Zverev was feeling the heat more than his young opponent. Set point. A strong serve — deuce.

Then Zverev rescued himself at the net with his enormous reach. And again. Sascha battled his way into the tie-break.

An unforced error from Tien immediately handed Zverev the mini-break, followed by his 22nd and 23rd aces. Another unforced error from Tien saw a forehand sail long, before Zverev made it 5:0 with a stunning winner into the corner.

Suddenly, everything clicked. The German had found his courage, intent on forcing the victory — and now had two serves to come.

6:0 — six match points. Zverev missed three of them, but on the fourth, it was over. A lob from Learner Tien drifted out of bounds, and an overjoyed Zverev once again reached a Grand Slam semi-final — his tenth.