Miomir Kecmanovic feels clay could be a leveller against Daniil Medvedev

Rising Serbian star Miomir Kecmanovic believes that meeting Daniil Medvedev on the clay of Roland Garros gives him the best chance of getting a victory over the World No 2.

Speaking ahead of his third round clash with Medvedev, Kecmanovic expressed a qualified confidence.

Kecmanovic is concerned about Medvedev’s good form but nonetheless upbeat about his chances.

“Medvedev is playing good, but of course it’s not his favourite surface, he doesn’t feel the most comfortable here,” said Kecmanovic.

“So if I want to play him I think it’s definitely better to play him on clay than somewhere else.”

Medvedev and 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas target the French Open last 16 on Saturday.

Kecmanovic started the year at 69 in the world and his all-court game saw him also enjoy quarter-final runs at both events in the Sunshine Double.

Medvedev has looked the most likely to reach that stage, dropping just 16 games in two straight-sets wins.

World No 4 Tsitsipas, had to come back from two sets down to beat Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the first round despite many picking him to reach the final again this year.

He also needed four hours to see off 134th-ranked qualifier Zdenek Kolar, saving set points in the fourth set tiebreaker.

Kecmanovic has had a solid clay season with a semi-final run in Munich and a quarter-final spot in Belgrade where he took Novak Djokovic to three sets. He also made the last eight in Rio and Santiago.

Playing at Roland Garros sitting at a career-high ranking of 31, Kecmanovic is in the last 32 in Paris for the first time in his career.

Tsitsipas faces unseeded Mikael Ymer of Sweden, the world number 95 who arrived at the tournament on a seven-match losing streak, stretching back to a semi-final defeat to Alexander Zverev in Montpellier in February.

However, Ymer has rediscovered his form in Paris, reaching the third round for a second successive season.

The third round also throws up two battles between veterans and duels between players considered the future of tennis.

Danish Teenager Holger Rune, faces 21-year-old Hugo Gaston. Meanwhile, 37-year-old Gilles Simon of France, playing on the tour for the final year, faces former US Open winner Marin Cilic who is now 33-years-old.