NEW YORK. – World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev maintained his strong start to his US Open title defense on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila), dispatching France’s Arthur Rinderknech 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 in the Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the third round.
After an inconsistent run-up to Flushing Meadows, Medvedev gained momentum after his straight sets win over Stefan Kozlov in the first round on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) and picked up where he left off against Rinderknech.
“In general, I’m happy with my level in the third set,” Medvedev told reporters. “At the end of the match it was getting better and better.
“At the same time, a win is the most important. Try to get out as early as possible even if it is pretty late. Looking forward to the next round.”
Medvedev frustrated Rinderknech with his flawless shot placement and pounced on the Frenchman’s serve to keep him pinned back on the baseline, while also saving all three break points he faced as he controlled the contest from the start.
The Russian capitalised on several unforced errors from Rinderknech to easily clinch the opening set and although he faced greater resistance from the world number 58 in the second, he was able to break through and prevent a tiebreak.
Medvedev dictated play with penetrating groundstrokes and got the crucial break in the third set by claiming the fifth game, before racing to victory in two hours and 11 minutes as the clock ticked past midnight in New York.
Also in men’s draw, world No. 53 Jack Draper stunned sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, last year’s semifinalist, winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time. — Reuters
