The best Russian tennis player does not let the Australian public get bored. Surprised everyone, including myself

 

Last year, Daniil Medvedev sensationally crashed out of the Australian Open early - in the 3rd round.

The current season in Melbourne is off to a much better start for the Russian. Not without problems, at his first tournament in 2024, he reached the 4th round.

It was expected that Medvedev would play against Grigor Dimitrov from Bulgaria, but he sensationally crashed out. The reason for this is the 69th number in the world ranking Nuno Borges . The Portuguese, without ATP titles in personal, without making it far through the bracket at the TBS, amazed Australia, but hardly frightened Medvedev. All preferences in their meeting were given to Daniel.

In the first set, the difference in class immediately became visible. Medvedev served coolly and tried to act accurately in the rallies. Borges was nervous, so he churned out unforced ones. There were 16 of them during the game (Medvedev had 8). For success at the start, Medvedev only needed one break. In the sixth game, the Portuguese made a double and made a couple of mistakes at the net - 2:4. Daniil didn’t serve for the set right away, but the serves helped out - 6:3.

In the second game we had to tinker with Borges. The Portuguese calmed down and began to try different options for playing against Medvedev. The short shots and runs to the net worked. Nuno was even able to break, but he did nothing for it - Medvedev was wrong. This, however, did not give him any advantage, because the break was a response to the Russian taking his serve. The only thing Borges managed to do was force the Russian into a tiebreaker. There the opponent fell apart (4:7) and the damage to Medvedev only increased - 2:0 in games.

The third set began with an exchange of serves, and then Medvedev played perfectly and should have completed everything - 5:2. But then the unimaginable happened. Danya came out to serve for the match and surprised everyone. The Russian unexpectedly allowed the Portuguese to make a break, and then lost another 4 games in a row. The Portuguese dribbled past his opponent at the net and sometimes delivered good serves. Medvedev was in a hurry and because of this he hit out, and also gave doubles. Talking to the coach didn't help. Daniil never served for the match - 5:7. Inexplicable failure.

It’s good that the joke didn’t drag on and didn’t turn into serious problems. During the pause, Medvedev recomposed himself and showed what he had to when he came out to serve for the match in the third game. He did not let Borges fight on his serves and became more concentrated in his rallies. The Russian coped with shortened shots, at the net, and with shootouts on the back line. Result: 6:1 in favor of Medvedev.

In the quarterfinals, the Russian will be waiting for Hubert Hurkacz from Poland, one of the most nasty opponents for Dani himself.