Italian tennis player Lorenzo Sonego made history by becoming the first athlete to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal while amassing over one million Spotify streams. The 29-year-old defeated American teenager Learner Tien in a four-set clash, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, at John Cain Arena, securing his spot in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
While his tennis performance impressed, Sonego’s off-court music career sparked intrigue. His 2021 track “Un solo secondo” has surpassed 1.5 million streams, with nearly 3,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. His song “SWING” also boasts over 57,000 plays.
On the court, Sonego dominated the first two sets before Tien, battling a hamstring injury, rallied to take the third. However, the Italian closed out the match with a commanding fourth set, delivering 20 aces and 57 winners.
1,000,000 – Lorenzo Sonego has become the first man with over 1 million streams on Spotify to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Smash hit. pic.twitter.com/DwoYcQwpkw
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) January 20, 2025
Sonego’s double life as a tennis star and musician has captivated fans, adding a unique layer to his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance.
Sonego at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2025
LLWLLLLWLL Ranked world no.55, Lorenzo achieved a 6-2 record in 2025. Sonego is currently competing at the Australian Open where he toppled the world no.156 Stan Wawrinka 6-4 5-7 7-5 7-5, the world no.112 Joao Fonseca 6-7(6) 6-3 6-1 3-6 6-3, the world no.59 Fabian Marozsan 6-7(3) 7-6(6) 6-1 6-2 and the world no.121 Learner Tien 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-1.
Lorenzo Sonego will square off with the world no.20 Ben Shelton in the quarter. Their head to head is 1-1.
Sonego won 4 titles in his career: 1 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Sonego is scheduled to play next in Montpellier (Open Occitanie). He will start to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 27th of January.
