Medvedev took an early 3-0 lead thanks to some lovely first touches at the goal, and he remained relentlessly aggressive from the baseline the entire time to secure an 89-minute victory.
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No matter the situation, Daniil Medvedev can still dominate his opponents. The third seed defeated the risky free-hitting Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday to get his 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters campaign off to an explosive start. In his first clay-court match of the year, Medvedev was focused right from the start. He took an early 3-0 lead thanks to some lovely first touches at the goal, and he remained relentlessly aggressive from the baseline the entire time to secure an 89-minute victory on Court Rainier III.
“Every match is a struggle [on clay], but I have had some good matches on clay,” said Medvedev as per the official ATP website. “I managed to play good against a very strong player on clay. Lorenzo is very strong. Here in Monte-Carlo there are a lot of Italians in the crowd, but a lot of French also, so it was fun to play, and I am happy to beat such a tough opponent.”
“It’s completely different on clay, but confidence is confidence,” the Russian added. “It’s about winning matches, because it is always two players that play, and one is going to win… I hope to bring this confidence even further.”
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In the third round of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, Medvedev will face Alexander Zverev. During his recent hot streak, Medvedev has won hard-court championships in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai, and Miami. Roberto Bautista Agut was easily defeated by the 13th seed earlier, 6-4, 6-4. It will be Medvedev and Zverev’s 14th match at the tour level, but their first on clay.
Alexander Zverev defeated Alexander Bublik 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 to begin his clay-court season on a winning note. The German, who was playing on the surface for the first time since retiring from his 2022 Roland Garros semi-final match against Rafael Nadal due to an injury to his right ankle, overcame a sluggish start to beat Bublik in an hour and 58 minutes. As the first-round match progressed, the 13th seed on Court Rainier III moved more fluidly. He made nine unforced errors while slipping into shots to score 21 goals and record his ninth victory of the year.
“It felt awful at times to be honest, but he made me feel awful,” Zverev said. “Tactically he played well, he didn’t let me play my game at all. He didn’t let me have my rhythm and he almost won the match, just a few points here and there. I have had two weeks of practice now. It is the most natural surface for me. It usually takes me five or 10 minutes to get used to a clay court, but this year was a bit different. I needed to get the injury out of my head. I needed to get used to sliding again.”
