Daniil Medvedev steadied himself to overcome a typically resilient Alex de Minaur on Saturday and book a last-eight spot at the China Open.
The second-seeded Medvedev prevailed 7-6(3), 6-3 in Beijing after his Australian opponent had rallied from 2-5 in the first set to force a tie-break. It was the third time in four tour-level events that the pair had met (Toronto, US Open, Beijing), and Medvedev was not surprised by De Minaur’s tenacity.
“[It was] tough, tough like always,” said Medvedev. “Alex has this ability, everyone knows it that when he’s down, he starts to play better. That’s what happened today. First set, I didn’t manage to count him down, as he was playing better because he was down. Second set I managed to play just unbelievable.
“It’s crazy how every time he is down in a match, you know he is going to start playing like he is No. 1 in the world. Tough to play against him, a tough victory, but I am happy with my level.”
Medvedev on 🔥 @DaniilMedwed | @ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen
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Medvedev converted three of nine break points he earned for his Tour-leading 40th hard-court win of the season and improved to 6-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with De Minaur. Having lost to the Australian in the Toronto quarter-finals in August, he was delighted to make it two straight wins against the World No. 12, against whom he also triumphed in four sets at last month’s US Open.
“Confidence is key. When I am in good shape and good form, I have this ability to win these kinds of matches in straight sets,” said Medvedev. “If I’m missing just two per cent of what I’m doing right now, that’s when it’s tougher. That’s what happened in Toronto. I should have won the first set [there]. It’s a matter of a few points, at this moment it’s working and I’m going to try to keep going.”
Now into the quarter-finals for the 13th time in 18 tour-level tournaments in 2023, Medvedev will meet Ugo Humbert next in the Chinese capital after the Frenchman upset fifth seed Andrey Rublev 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(3).
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