Daniil Medvedev has kicked off his first tournament since his disappointing third round exit in Melbourne win an impressive win over Spain's clay-court specialist, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Medvedev lost the opening set to the Spaniard at the Rotterdam Open, with frequent sarcastic gestures to his box showing his early frustration in the match.
However, he was able to regain his composure, find some rhythm from the baseline and ultimately turn the match in his favour by winning nine of the ten games after dropping the first.
Speaking to press after that match, the Russian said he initially struggled to find consistency, but was very happy with the way he able to find his form throughout the contest.
I just managed to play a little bit better. I don't want to say that I played much better, but a little bit better, managed to use the crucial opportunities a little bit better and I feel like he was missing a bit more than in the first set. All together, I feel like I changed just a few millimetres of tactics, if we can say like this. All of this happened to work, so I'm really happy about it.
That's my game. When I miss, that's not very good. I don't know what else to say. I've had some matches where I struggled when I missed.
The 2021 US Open champion is likely to play young Canadian talent Felix Auger Aliassime in the last eight, should Auger Aliassime win his second round encounter against Frenchman Barrere. It will be a tough examination for Medvedev, should the two win their next round matches, as the Canadian is scintillating on indoor hard courts.
Following early exits at the Australian Open for both players, something would have to give in that quarter-final.
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