Medvedev Upsets Paire; Gasquet, Simon Reach QFs
Medvedev Upsets Paire; Gasquet, Simon Reach QFs
An early contender in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, Daniil Medvedev, claimed his seventh win of the season as he rallied to defeat eighth seed Benoit Paire 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(4) in two hours and 25 minutes in the first round of the Open 13 Marseille on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old Russian, who lives in nearby Antibes, twice dug himself out of a hole against home favourite Paire. He rallied from 1-3 down in the second set – breaking the Frenchman to 15 as he served for the match in the 10th game – and from a double break 0-3 deficit in the decider.
Watch: Medvedev’s Road Trip To Marseille
“It was a really tough match,” said Medvedev. “I’m really happy to win, because not everything was going good for me. I wasn’t playing my best tennis in the first two sets. I was making a lot of unforced errors.
“In my mind, I just had to keep on fighting. I was a bit too nervous during the match, that’s why I was lost the first set and was losing in the second. Finally, I managed to step up my game a little bit and be more consistent. I started to play some really good tennis in the third set, especially in the tie-break.”
Watch Full Match Replays
Medvedev has staked an early claim for one of the coveted eight places at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan in November. The Russian is currently second in the Race, having reached his first ATP World Tour final at the Aircel Chennai Open (l. to Bautista Agut) and the quarter-finals in Montpellier (l. to Tsonga).
Sixth seed Richard Gasquet booked his spot in the quarter-finals with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Mikhail Youzhny. The Frenchman is looking to reach his second ATP World Tour final of the season, having finished runner-up at the Open Sud de France two weeks ago (l. to Zverev).
In an all-French second-round contest, seventh seed Gilles Simon overcame Julien Benneteau 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in just over two hours to reach the quarter-finals. The 32-year-old Simon is bidding to win this ATP World Tour 250 tournament for the third time, having lifted the trophy in 2007 (d. Baghdatis) and 2015 (d. Monfils).