The outcome of a closely contested game, in which both players produced excellent play but found it difficult to do so consistently, was decided when Medvedev remained the more reliable in the dying seconds.
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In the third round of the Monte-Carlo Masters on Thursday, Daniil Medvedev triumphed 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7) after a thrilling late-night marathon match against Alexander Zverev. Zverev saved two match points in the third-set tie-break on Court Rainier III and held serve for the match at 5-4 in both the second and third sets, but he was unable to defeat the tenacious Medvedev. The outcome of a closely contested game, in which both players produced excellent play but found it difficult to do so consistently, was decided when Medvedev remained the more reliable in the dying seconds.
“That was a crazy match,” said Medvedev. “He served two times for the match, he probably should have done better, but that is also clay courts. I tried to watch a lot of tennis before playing this tournament, and one thing that I saw is you can come back at any moment. The serve doesn’t count as much, so as soon as someone gets a little bit tight, the match can turn around in one second. That’s what I managed to do.”
In the tie-break that decided the match, Medvedev fell behind 5/6 and 6/7, but Zverev’s mistakes cost the German dearly on both occasions. Medvedev scored three consecutive points to seal the victory and advance to the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals twice.
In a chaotic third-round match, both players had a tonne of success after returning. The World No. 5 won in three hours and five minutes after breaking Medvedev’s serve six times. This victory increased his advantage over the German to 8-6 in their head-to-head matchup. Holger Rune will be Medvedev’s opponent in the semifinal round. Due to an oblique injury, Matteo Berrettini was compelled to withdraw from the pair’s third-round match, and the 19-year-old Dane moved on to his first Monte-Carlo quarterfinal.
At the Monte-Carlo Masters on Thursday, Lorenzo Musetti defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 to advance to his second ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal, recording the biggest victory of his career. The 21-year-old Italian won the match in two hours and 54 minutes by taking advantage of Djokovic’s poor serving while playing in wet and windy conditions on Court Rainier III. The Italian broke the Serbian eight times during the match.
“I am struggling not to cry,” Musetti said in his on-court interview. “It is an emotional win because it was a really long match. Three-hour match and suspended by rain. It was not easy conditions because it was a little bit windy and cold. Not like we used to play in the recent days. I am really proud of myself and I can see on the screen. I am struggling not to cry because it is a dream for me.”
“I couldn’t find the right balance on [serve]. Particularly with the toss. I think we were returning better than serving,” Musetti said. “The rallies at the end were really intense and really long and it was a tough battle. Even for the physical and mental part. Beating Novak is something remarkable for me.”
Musetti rallied from 2-4 in the second set to tie after losing the first set. After a 59-minute rain delay at the start of the decider, he continued to play with intensity and flair to earn the second Top 5 victory of his career. He hit with aggression and depth to force Djokovic into 11 unforced errors in the set.
