Monte Carlo, Principality of Monaco, April 12 (AFP\/APP):Daniil Medvedev cruised through his first match of the year on clay Wednesday, defeating Italian wild card Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-2 at the Monte Carlo Masters to set up a meeting with Alexander Zverev.<\/p>\n
Medvedev broke Sonego at the first attempt and then twice more in the second set to reel off his 25th win in his past 26 tour-level matches.
\n“Every match is a struggle (on clay), but I have had some good matches on clay,” said Medvedev. “I managed to play good against a very strong player on clay.”<\/p>\n
“It’s completely different on clay, but confidence is confidence,” the third seed added.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
Medvedev earned his tour-leading 30th victory of the season and will face Zverev in the last 16 — a first meeting between the pair on clay.<\/p>\n
“We’ve had some tough matches,” said Medvedev, who has won seven of 13 previous matches against Zverev.<\/p>\n
Zverev is still finding his way back after tearing ankle ligaments in the French Open semi-finals last year against Rafael Nadal.<\/p>\n
Following a difficult first-round tie against the dangerous Alexander Bublik, he beat Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
“I saw him (Zverev) in the first two matches, he seemed to be in good shape. I’m just going to have to be at my best,” said Medvedev.<\/p>\n
– Ruud revenge –<\/p>\n
Casper Ruud, coming off a title in Estoril last weekend, kicked off his Monte Carlo campaign with a 7-5, 7-6 (7\/1) win over Botic van de Zandschulp.<\/p>\n
“It is never easy to start at a new tournament and against a player I have lost to before,” said Ruud, who avenged his early exit at the hands of Van de Zandschulp in Miami.<\/p>\n
“Sometimes it is a little tricky playing someone you recently lost to, like ‘Not again’, but in this case I was a bit happy because I felt like some unfinished business from the Miami match.”<\/p>\n
Ruud, a semi-finalist in the Principality two years ago, will take on Jan-Lennard Struff next after the German knocked out 14th seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-2.<\/p>\n
Danish teenager Holger Rune swept aside two-time French Open runner-up Dominic Thiem 6-2, 6-4, while Jannik Sinner advanced as Diego Schwartzman retired while trailing by a set and a break.<\/p>\n
Karen Khachanov, the ninth seed, downed Ilya Ivashka in straight sets to book a showdown with Andrey Rublev.<\/p>\n
Novak Djokovic plays Italian youngster Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday for a place in the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n
Musetti, who famously led Djokovic by two sets at Roland Garros in 2021 before being forced to retire, thrashed qualifier Luca Nardi 6-0, 6-0.<\/p>\n
World number one Djokovic is appearing at his first tournament since failing to get a waiver to enter the United States for last month’s Indian Wells and Miami events due to his anti-Covid vaccination stance.<\/p>\n
Matteo Berrettini won a topsy-turvy three-setter against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo despite blowing a 5-0 lead in the opening set.<\/p>\n
The Italian recovered to dominate the second-set tie break before completing a 5-7, 7-6 (7\/1), 6-4 victory.<\/p>\n
US eighth seed Taylor Fritz overcame 2014 Monte Carlo champion Stan Wawrinka 7-6 (12\/10), 6-2.<\/p>\n
Chile’s Nicolas Jarry will take on two-time defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas after outlasting Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in three sets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Monte Carlo, Principality of Monaco, April 12 (AFP\/APP):Daniil Medvedev cruised through his first match of the year on clay Wednesday, defeating Italian wild card Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-2 at the Monte Carlo Masters to set up a meeting with Alexander Zverev. Medvedev broke Sonego at […]<\/p>\n
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