Medvedev rallies to beat Sonego, Rublev enters last 8
Amir Naqvi, Sports Editor
Top seed Daniil Medvedev rallied from a set down to defeat Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Wednesday, booking his place in the quarter-finals.
Playing in the first tournament since losing the Australian Open final, the top seed took two hours to beat the World No.48.
Medvedev initially faced challenges with his serve in the first set, which allowed Sonego to capitalise and claim the opening set 6-3.
However, the World No. 4 displayed remarkable grit, staging a comeback in the remaining two sets. He adopted a more aggressive strategy, and the tactical shift paid off as Medvedev gained the decisive break of the second set in the eighth game before breaking his Italian rival twice in the decider to advance.
“I went to court and was not feeling right. I was too nervous and too tight, which does not happen often to me,” said the 2021 US Open winner.
“I was making a lot of mistakes and nervous. Sometimes it takes a set to calm down, and if I continue to do what I did in the first set, that is not going to work. I just had to change. To be more calm, and if that doesn’t work, it is his day, but it worked,” he added.
Fifth seed Ugo Humbert knocked out Andy Murray 6-2, 6-4 to advance into the next round of the tournament.
Murray’s struggles against Humbert were evident in the opening set, where he relinquished his serve twice in a row.
Humbert, broke the Murray serve twice and took the opening set 6-2. The second set offered a glimmer of hope, showcasing a closer contest. However, the 2017 champion’s frustration became clear as he struck the umpire’s chair in a moment of exasperation. Humbert’s consistent, clean hitting proved too much for Murray, securing the Frenchman a victory within an hour and a half.