Daniil Medvedev came through another tough three-setter to book his spot in the last 16 at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The No. 9 seed outlasted Frenchman Alexandre Muller to win 7-6(6) 5-7 6-2 in a two-hour and 47-minute rollercoaster.
Medvedev has made it no secret that clay isn’t his favourite surface but he has been pulling out some tricks in Monaco, and dazzled the crowd with a stunning, Rafael Nadal-like volley early in the final set. The 29-year-old had the perfect reaction, even impressing himself with the trick shot.
The world No. 11 has made a habit of playing into the evening at this week’s Monte-Carlo Masters. Medvedev ground out a tricky win against countryman Karen Khachanov in the first round and left it all on the court, suddenly cramping after match point and calling the physio.
He found himself embroiled in another tussle on Wednesday evening, winning a tight first set in 66 minutes. Medvedev seemed to be on his way to victory when he served for the match in set two.
But Muller flipped the script, winning three games in a row to force a decider. Medvedev came alive in the third and final set, breaking immediately.
Leading 1-0, the Russian showed his skills at the net when he was drawn in, finishing off the point with an incredible behind-the-back volley, spinning around as he hit the ball and placing it perfectly on the line for a winner.
The fans had largely been pulling for Muller throughout the evening, with the Frenchman enjoying the benefit of a ‘home’ crowd given the tournament’s proximity to his home country.
But Medvedev knew he deserved his plaudits for the skyhook volley, shrugging and waving his arms to get the spectators going.
The world No. 11 well and truly had momentum on his side – he broke again in a marathon game before serving out the match.
Medvedev has now spent five-and-a-half hours on court on his way to the round-of-16, and he can expect another tough match as he faces Alex de Minaur on Thursday.
The Aussie is known for his speed around the court and could pull Medvedev into another lung-buster when they meet for a spot in the quarter-final.
The Russian leads their head-to-head by seven wins to three losses, but De Minaur beat him on the clay courts at the French Open last year.
Medvedev is also bidding to return to the world’s top 10 after dropping out for the first time in two years. The former world No. 1 recently joked that he would try to win every title on the clay, which would easily propel him back near the top of the game.
“Easy, I’ll make the triple Masters and I’ll finish it off with Roland Garros, cherry on top,” he joked when asked for his clay season predictions.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk