[ad_1]
Daniil Medvedev celebrates defeating Ilya Ivashka during the BNP Paribas Open on March 12, 2023 in Indian Wells, California. Julian Finney/Getty Images/AFP
Daniil Medvedev, not a fan of the hard court of Indian Wells, but came out on top in a back-and-forth battle with Ilya Ivashka on Saturday to push his ATP winning streak to 16 matches.
Medvedev, the world number six going for three straight titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, said his 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 third-round victory over 85th-ranked Ivashka was “a matter of a few points. .”
“It’s always difficult to play here,” said Medvedev, the former world number one whose best in the California desert is the round of 16 in 2021.
“(It’s) hard to create anything in a rally, so it’s just a matter of seeing who puts more balls on the court. If you lose a little bit of momentum, you’re going to lose the set.”
Medvedev was clearly frustrated at the end of the second set, grumbling to the umpire that he would be “slow as a court” during a bathroom break.
He was able to pull himself together, but was able to take a 5-0 lead in the third game.
To extend the match, Ivashka was 0-40 down, but broke three straight points and held serve with an ace to force Medvedev to serve.
“I have less. That’s all we can do. You can’t do more,” said Medvedev. “It’s a matter of a few points.
“The second and third sets for me were the same, the scores were different. It’s just that I played more points the most important – break points, 30-all. I could do better in the third set.
Medvedev sets up a fourth-round meeting with Germany’s Alexander Zverev, the former world number two who is seeded 12th as he returns from a torn ankle ligament that ended his 2022 campaign at the French Open.
Zverev said he felt lucky to win 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 against Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori, who Zverev judged was “the better player” in the third set.
RELATED STORY
Your subscription cannot be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.
Read Next
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & 70+ other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to news, download from 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
TAGS:
For suggestions, complaints, or questions, please contact us.
[ad_2]
Source link