Last year’s China Open finalist Daniil Medvedev shook off his Laver Cup woes with an opening round win against veteran Gael Monfils.
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev endured an unfathomably baffling Laver Cup, lifting the trophy on Sunday evening, despite not contributing a single point.
I suppose that’s the rare luxury of the team events tennis seldom sees – you can get Carlos Alcaraz to swoop in and save the day.
Kicking off this campaign in Beijing, Medvedev managed to stem a run of three straight defeats since his US Open exit to Jannik Sinner.
Confronted by dynamic Frenchman Gael Monfils, Medvedev persevered past an opponent who managed to defeat Alcaraz last month in Cincinnati.
Looking to dash French hopes once again, Medvedev will play Adrian Mannarino – a player who’s finally stopped his losing streak.
Daniel Medvedev admits he was forced to ‘wait’ during ‘deserved’ China Open win
During a controversial Laver Cup defeat to Ben Shelton on the final day, Medvedev hurled his racquet out of the court, luckily avoiding any spectators.
The WTA and ATP were urged to change the rules, with the Russian not disqualified from the event afterwards.
Medvedev however advanced with less trouble despite still being some way from his best, breaking his opponents serve five times.
After the match, he told the ATP: “I think the game plan didn’t change too much [throughout the match]. In a way, we both only really like to attack. I guess me maybe a bit more than him, but I think for him it is tough to attack. He defends very well.
“You have to be a really good attacker, like one of the best, or you need to wait for the opportunity. So that’s what I tried to do. Wait for my opportunity,” the Russian explained. “I think I had more chances, so I think I deserved to win.”
“Honestly the wins are, in a way, not important, because it depends how many tournaments you play, but it’s still good to win a lot of matches. So I’m happy that I’ve managed to continue winning matches.
“I still have some tournaments to go, so I have the chance to bring the tally even higher. I try to be consistent throughout the year. Sometimes I’m more consistent, sometimes less, but that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Narrowly losing out to Sinner in the final 12 months ago, Medvedev is still searching for his first title of the year.
Daniil Medvedev faces a stern test in Adrian Mannarino
While Medvedev is expected to coast through his next match, he will be quick to dispel any ideas that it’s a foregone conclusion.
Having lost to the Frenchman four times out of a total seven, Mannarino’s lagging left-handed groundstrokes allow him to create obscure angles all over the court. Simply, he presents a different profile to much of the ATP tour.
Medvedev’s defeats admittedly came early in his career, with the world number five winning three of the last four.
With an opportunity to level their head-to-head, Medvedev will need to build on this first round performance and ultimately get ready to play another crafty Frenchman.
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