Russia’s Daniil Medvedev hits a return to Australia’s Alex De Minaur during their men’s singles second round tennis match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on September 30, 2023. — AFP pic
BEIJING, Sept 30 — World number three Daniil Medvedev progressed to the quarter-finals of the China Open with a hard-fought win over Australia’s Alex De Minaur in Beijing today.
The Russian navigated an awkward first set before eventually triumphing 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 and will face either compatriot Andrey Rublev or Ugo Humbert of France in the next round.
Medvedev led 5-2 in the first set but errors crept in and he needed a tie-break to see off a stirring comeback from the 12th-ranked De Minaur.
He found his range in the second set, securing an early break before taking his second match point with a fierce volley.
Earlier, Nicolas Jarry battled to a marathon victory to set up a potential quarter-final with Alexander Zverev, who plays later on Saturday.
The unseeded Chilean triumphed 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 over Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi in a three-hour match.
Tournament favourite and world number two Carlos Alcaraz will play Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in round two after dispatching qualifier Yannick Hanfmann yesterday.
The China Open is taking place for the first time since 2019 after the government lifted its strict zero-Covid policy.
Most of the top male players are in action with the notable exception of Novak Djokovic. — AFP
