Medvedev Earns First Win As World No. 1

Daniil Medvedev is 1-0 as World No. 1. After taking over the top spot in the ATP Rankings on 28 February, the 26-year-old lived up to the billing with a dominant start at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday.

Facing qualifier Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic, Medvedev advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 6-2 victory on Stadium 1 in Indian Wells. After saving a break point in the first game of the match, he settled in for a dominant victory over a 21-year-old opponent who was seeking his first Top 10 win.

“I think I was pretty consistent,” Medvedev said of his performance. “If you look at the first set, it was pretty even. He made a few unforced errors and maybe some bad decisions in the crucial moments. That’s how tennis is sometimes.

“The scoreline might be pretty effective, 6-3, 6-2, but if you look at the points and the games, it was not as easy as it seems. So I’m happy that I managed to pull through and be the most consistent player.”

Once he navigated that tricky opening game, Medvedev dropped just eight points on serve in the rest of the one-hour, 11-minute match.

Watch highlights from Saturday’s action at Indian Wells:

From 2-2 in the opening set, Medvedev locked in and began to turn the screws with his baseline game, controlling the rallies and giving Machac very few errors. After taking four of the last five games in the first set, he scored an instant break in the second to drive home the advantage.

He never looked back as he sealed a stress-free victory to kickstart his desert campaign. Medvedev’s best Indian Wells result came in October when he reached the Round of 16 before losing a three-setter to Grigor Dimitrov.

“It’s always strange here, the conditions,” Medvedev said. “You need a lot of time to get used to the conditions, and at the same time it’s a great place to be, so everybody comes one week, one week and a half before the tournament because of both reasons. That’s what I’ve done also and I feel great, so hopefully I can do better than the previous times.”

The top seed will face 26th seed Gael Monfils or Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic in in the third round on Monday.