Medvedev Sprints To Acapulco Win, Continues Charge Towards No. 1

  • Posted: Feb 24, 2022

Medvedev Sprints To Acapulco Win, Continues Charge Towards No. 1

Feb242022

Russian three wins from title and No. 1 ATP Ranking

Daniil Medvedev looked every bit a World No. 1 in his 6-1, 6-2 demolition of Spain’s Pablo Andujar on Wednesday in Acapulco.

After a hardfought win over Benoit Paire in his debut at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, the Russian completed a never-in-doubt route to advance to the quarter-finals.

Knowing a title on Sunday guarantees him the top spot in the ATP Rankings, Medvedev showed no signs of stress in a strong outing. He raced to leads of 5-0 in the first and 4-0 in the second, wrapping up the match in just over an hour — in stark contrast to the parade of marathon matches on the stadium court earlier in the week.

“I’m lucky two days in a row not to play at midnight like some other guys,” the World No. 2 said post-match. “It’s pretty tough conditions, quite humid. Even if we play at night it’s quite hot… The faster the matches, the better you’re going to feel for the next one.”

Despite just nine unforced errors in the match, Andujar could not cope with Medvedev’s baseline brilliance, the Russian saving the lone break point he faced with a big serve early in the contest. 

“Pablo is a very tough opponent, so I knew that from the first point to the last point I would have to fight, to play my best tennis,” Medvedev added. “I’m happy I was able to [execute] my plan. It was enough today to win and I’m really happy about it.”

With the match in hand late, Medvedev began experimenting with his drop shot to mixed results. Playing along, Andujar attempted to spring an underarm serve as the match raced towards its conclusion. The Russian answered back with an underarm fake on match point, before ending the match with his seventh ace.

The top seed will face seventh seed Taylor Fritz or wild card Yoshihito Nishioka in the quarter-finals. Rafael Nadal, who plays American Stefan Kozlov in the second round, remains a potential semi-final opponent.

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