Dubai Championship: Medvedev Advances
Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev advanced to the Round of 16 in the Dubai Open Men’s Tennis Championship after defeating Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in the Round of 32 on Tuesday.
Medvedev, the tournament’s top seed, secured victory in straight sets, winning 6-4, 7-6.
This marked Medvedev’s eighth win against Struff in their head-to-head encounters, with only one previous loss.
“You just need to play well and win matches. I love tennis, I love watching matches, but there was no pressure before stepping onto the court,” said Medvedev.
Last week, Medvedev withdrew from the Qatar Open due to fatigue but showed strong form against Struff.
“The cold in Doha wasn’t the best way to end that tournament, but I hope to keep trying and reap the rewards of my efforts since the start of the season, whether here in Dubai or later on. It was a good start,” the Russian star added.
In the next round, Medvedev will face Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Andrey Rublev, the third seed, exited the tournament after losing to France’s Quentin Halys.
Rublev failed to capitalize on winning the first set and eventually lost 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 to the Frenchman.
His defeat came just three days after winning the Qatar Open by defeating Britain’s Jack Draper in the final.
In a major upset, Croatian Marin Cilic advanced to the Round of 16 after defeating Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
Cilic overcame second-seed de Minaur in three sets, winning 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the Round of 32 on Tuesday in Dubai.
Cilic will now face Australian Alexei Popyrin, who defeated Lebanon’s Hady Habib in the previous round.
French fifth seed Ugo Humbert also reached the Round of 16, beating Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-0, while Bulgarian sixth seed Grigor Dimitrov withdrew from his match against Australian Christopher O’Connell.
Additionally, Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor defeated Russia’s Roman Safiullin 5-7, 7-6, 7-6. Portuguese player Nuno Borges also progressed, securing an easy 6-2, 6-1 win over French eighth seed Arthur Fils.
Italy’s Luca Nardi advanced to the same round after defeating Hungary’s Márton Fucsovics 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. He will next face Belgian Zizou Bergs, who overcame Tunisia’s Aziz Dougaz in the Round of 32.
Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime also joined the list of qualifiers for the Round of 16, winning against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik in three sets (7-6, 6-7, 6-3).
