Daniil Medvedev secures 300th ATP Tour win
Daniil Medvedev secured his 300th match win on the ATP Tour with a scratchy victory over 22-year-old compatriot and qualifier Alexander Shevchenko.
Medvedev is open about his struggles to adapt to clay but committed to do his best on the swing especially after a sensational end to the first hard court section of the season.
Medvedev twice needed to rally from a break down in the deciding set on his way to securing a tense 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 win at the Manolo Santana Stadium in Madrid.
Playing defensively on clay can be a recipe for disaster but Medvedev just about hung in there before eventually turning the tide on his young countryman to secure his second win at the AP 1000 event.
Despite the loss it has been a big week for Shevchenko, who has risen five spots to No. 91 in the ATP Live Rankings thanks to his run to the third round on his Masters 1000 main-draw debut in Madrid.
Medvedev wanted to give the 22-year-old credit for very nearly sending him packing.
“He played well. He’s young, so I’m sure he’s going to up the rankings, especially if he plays like in this tournament,” said Medvedev.
“It’s always like this. He’s still young so he has a lot of time to go up.
“I practised with him before, I know that he can play very good, so the more consistent he is [and] the more matches he plays like this, maybe next time he’s going to win and the higher he is going to go. I’m very happy that today I managed to beat him.”
Medvedev will face either compatriot Aslan Karatsev or Australian Alex de Minaur in the next round.
He has now notched 33 wins this season to date which has been enough to power him to the top of the ATP Race to Turin standings.
Medvedev has the potential to make a run on the world no 1 ranking if he enjoys a solid clay season and good returns on grass.
He has previously held the top spot on the ATP rankings for a total of 16 weeks and is the tallest man ever to ascend to the top of the standings.
Medvedev has claimed 17 of his 18 singles titles on hard courts and all 18 at different events. His championship honours include ATP Masters 1000 championships at Cincinnati and Shanghai in 2019, Paris in 2020 and Toronto in 2021.
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