Daniil Medvedev, 3rd in the world and winner in 2021, qualified for the third round of the US Open by dismissing Australian Christopher O’Connell (69th) 6-2, 6-2, 6-7 (6/8 ), 6-2.
“At some point he decided to play better, I don’t know why. Me, I played the same, but he decided to play better and it became more difficult for me”, commented the 27-year-old Russian who then got very angry.
“Nervousness, when you’re frustrated, sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t. And you never know which way it’s going to go,” he said with a smile.
Because Medvedev seemed to be heading for an easy victory when O’Connell broke in the third set to pick up at 4-4 and take the set to the tiebreaker.
The Russian then offered himself two match points at 6/4, but he spoiled them with a double fault and an unforced error. And he committed another double fault, this time on the set point, thus giving the set to his opponent.
Medvedev then earned the break to lead 3-1 in the fourth set and earned two more match points on his opponent’s serve at 5-2. The Australian saved the first with an ace but committed an unforced error on the second, fourth overall.
Medvedev will face Argentinian Sebastian Baez (32nd) on Saturday to try to climb into the round of 16.
Winner at Flushing Meadows in 2021, beating Djokovic, whom he had deprived of the Grand Slam that season, the 27-year-old Russian is considered one of the few who can disrupt the expected scenario of a new confrontation in the final between the 36-year-old Serb and Carlos Alcaraz, 20.
The draw put Medvedev potentially on the Spaniard’s route to the semi-finals.