Former winner Daniil Medvedev has reached the third round at the US Open with some problems and caused a stir with his behavior.
The 27-year-old Russian defeated the Australian Christopher O’Connell in the night match 6: 2, 6: 2, 6: 7 (6: 8), 6: 2. Among other things, he messed with the audience. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz had less trouble in the 6: 3, 6: 1, 7: 6 (7: 4) against the South African outsider Lloyd Harris.
Medvedev looked like the easy winner in the third round. In the tiebreak, however, the third in the world rankings missed the first of two match points with a double fault. He made the same mishap a little later at set point for his opponent. Medvedev then summoned the doctor and when asked what the symptoms of his problems were, he replied: “I lost the sentence.” To do this, he asked for the drug that his opponent had previously received during a medical break.
Medvedev insults fans
To do this, Medvedev pushed a camera away and insulted fans who, in his opinion, did not sit down quickly enough. In the course of the fourth set, however, he regained his composure. “It’s like a lottery,” Medvedev replied in the winning interview when asked if his emotions would help him. “When you’re frustrated, you can lose your focus. Today it helped me a bit.” In the third round, the 2021 winner meets Argentinian Sebastian Baez.
Despite a phase of weakness in the third round, Alcaraz remained in the tournament without losing a set. “I had fun on the pitch,” said the 20-year-old Spaniard to cheers from the fans. “I kept my focus after the break and stayed mentally strong.”
In the round of the top 32, the 2022 winner will meet Brit Daniel Evans at the Grand Slam tournament in New York. Alcaraz is Alexander Zverev’s potential quarter-final opponent. At the start, the Spaniard made progress after the German tennis pro Dominik Koepfer gave up due to an ankle injury.
