| American Tennys Sandgren became only the second man in the last 20 years to reach the quarter-finals on debut at Melbourne Park |
American Tennys Sandgren’s dream debut at the Australian Open continued on Monday as the rank outsider upset fifth seed Dominic Thiem 6-2 4-6 7-6(4) 6-7(7) 6-3 to reach an improbable quarter-final.
The 97th-ranked Tennessee native captured the decisive break against the Austrian in the sixth game of the final set and sealed the match in style with a thumping forehand winner from the baseline at a raucous Hisense Arena.
The 26-year-old threw down his racket and raised his arms aloft as the terraces roared in disbelief at the American’s astonishing achievement.
Sandgren became only the second man in the last 20 years to reach the quarter-finals on debut at Melbourne Park.
Sandgren will face either 14th seed Novak Djokovic or Chung Hyeon for a place in the semi-finals.