Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday cruised through his first match of the year on clay, 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 the first attempt and then twice more in the second set to reel off his 25th win in his past 26 tour-level matches.
“Every match is a struggle [on clay], but I have had some good matches on clay,” Medvedev said. “I managed to play good against a very strong player on clay.”
Photo: AFP
“It’s completely different on clay, but confidence is confidence,” the third seed added. “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.”
Medvedev earned his tour-leading 30th victory of the season and faces Zverev in the last 16 — to be the first meeting between the pair on clay. Their match was schedued to begin at about press time last night.
Zverev is still finding his way back after tearing ankle ligaments in the French Open semi-finals last year against Rafael Nadal.
Following a difficult first-round tie against the dangerous Alexander Bublik, he beat Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday.
Casper Ruud began his Monte Carlo campaign with a 7-5, 7-6 (7/1) win over Botic van de Zandschulp.
“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. “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.”
Ruud faces Jan-Lennard Struff after the German knocked out 14th seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-2.
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