Daniil Medvedev defeated Jack Draper in Rome ATP Tour | tennis

Match report

Defending champion Medvedev won 1000 victories at the 100th Masters in Rome

The second shuttlecock is in front of Medjedovic

May 11, 2024

Daniil Medvedev began his title defense at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Saturday, winning his 100th match at the ATP Masters 1000 level with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Jack Draper.

The second seed absorbed the lefty’s firepower with brick-wall consistency, covering the entire court adeptly and wearing Draper down in long baseline rallies. Medvedev showed a contrast of court position, pulling tightly to the baseline behind his serve, only to return to the back wall at the Foro Italico.

“It wasn’t easy,” said Medvedev, who made 18 unforced errors to Draper’s 30. “I feel the conditions are completely different from last year and also from Monte Carlo and Madrid.

“It’s really slow and hard here, so I honestly feel like it’s hard to pick a winner and that’s what I’ve seen in all the other matches. You have to work your opponent left-right-left-right and you’ll get tired and your opponent will get tired. I knew that before the match , so I’m happy to stay stronger.

Despite the one-hour, 47-minute triumph, it wasn’t the cleanest day for Medvedev, who hit just 39 percent of his first serves in the first set, according to Infosys ATP Stats. After breaking serve for a one-set lead at 5-4, Medvedev broke and broke open in his next service game in which he earned a break point.

The 28-year-old found his best midway through the second set when he rattled off 14 straight points to hand Draper the biggest win of his career. Medvedev also improved his consistency on serve as the match wore on, dropping just two points on his first serve in the second set to win the first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting against the Briton.

The PIF ATP World No. 4 was broken when serving for the match at 5-2, but remained focused to close out the second-round match on his next attempt.

“It was good that I managed to get ahead,” said Medvedev in the second set. “Even if he started playing better, the difference was enough. I’m pretty happy with my level and I’m looking forward to it.”

Medvedev, now 23-6 on the season, pulled out of the Madrid quarterfinals against Jiri Lehetska with a right leg problem, but showed no signs of trouble in the opener in Rome.

Achievement = Unlocked 🔓⭐️👏

reigning champion @DaniilMedwed He scored his 100th win at the ATP Masters 1000 level, defeating Draper 7-5 6-4!@InteBNLdItalia | #IBI24 pic.twitter.com/mV6cDAPiDe

— ATP Tour (@atptur) May 11, 2024

“I worked well with my team to prepare. I knew two or three days ago that I feel better,” said Medvedev. “Two days before the tournament I was going 100 percent in practice, so I wasn’t worried, but it’s good to finally [play] match and be sure that yes, I can do it and I’m not in pain.”

Medvedev, who dropped just one set on his first tour-level clay court in Rome last year, is aiming to defend his title for the first time in a career that has seen him win 20 titles in as many venues.

A six-time ATP Masters 1000 champion, Medvedev next faces Serbian Hamad Medjedovic, who won last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. The 20-year-old qualifier beat 30th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(4), 6-4 and advanced to the third round.

Medvedev’s compatriots Alex de Minaur, Tommy Paul and Nicolas Jarry also booked third-round places on Saturday.

Ninth seed De Minaur cruised through his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 6-2. The Australian, who is now 24-9 on the season, will next face Madrid finalist Felix Auger-Aliasime or Bottic van de Zandschulp.

Paul beat Aslan Karatsev 6-4, 6-2 for just his second major win in Rome. The 14th-seeded American now prepares for a third-round clash with Dominik Koepfer, who defeated Paul’s compatriot Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 6-2. Jarry beat home favorite Matteo Arnoldi 6-2, 7-6(6) to advance to second home favorite Stefano Napolitano, who cruised to a 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-0 triumph against the #NextGenATP star. Shang Yuncheng.