Tennis: Medvedev shakes off fall to beat Zverev, reach Indian Wells quarter-finals
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Russia's Daniil Medvedev celebrates victory over Alexander Zverev of Germany .
PHOTO: AFP
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INDIAN WELLS – Daniil Medvedev is unsure of his fitness after shaking off a mid-match ankle injury to beat Alexander Zverev 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 on Tuesday, reaching the Indian Wells quarter-finals for the first time.
World No. 6 Medvedev is coming off three straight ATP titles at Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai.
After twisting his right ankle in a frightening fall in the second set, the Russian was able to continue but said after the match that he now expected to feel considerable pain and would likely have a scan to assess the damage.
“Now when the adrenaline goes down the body cools down it is going to be pretty painful and I am going to probably do a scan to see what it is and if I can continue to play,” he said.
The 27-year-old had been as frustrated with the slow courts of Indian Wells as he fought off four break points in each of his first two service games of the second set.
A changeover rant directed at no one in particular, in which he called the courts a “disgrace to sport”, seemed to make him feel better, and he had given himself a break chance in the sixth game when he turned his ankle as he slid to his forehand side, right leg extended.
His ankle buckled first one way and then the other and he fell to the court in pain. The 25-year-old Zverev, who suffered three torn ankle ligaments at the 2022 French Open, was quick to rush to his side in concern.
After several minutes, Medvedev limped to his chair and after having the injury examined and taped by medical staff, opted to continue.
“When I rolled my ankle I rolled it pretty hard,” he said. “The moment I rolled it I was like ‘OK, I’m going to just stand up and it’s going to be fine’.
“But then I was staying on the ground because the pain was only growing and usually that’s not a good sign so I thought I’d better stop.”
When they did continue, Zverev closed out the game, and they went with serve to another tiebreaker, Medvedev taking a 4-1 lead and closing it with a crisply angled forehand winner to force an unlikely third set.
Alexander Zverev of Germany runs to the net in his match against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.
PHOTO: AFP
Medvedev, who appeared largely untroubled by his ankle injury in the third set, broke Zverev for a 2-1 lead. He twice received treatment on his left thigh – the second time to the consternation of his German opponent – but still held serve with ease until he served for the match at 5-4, squandering a match point and was broken.
But Zverev was unable to build on that, clutching his head in disbelief as he double-faulted on break point in the next game. Medvedev seized the opening, holding at love to clinch the win.
Should his ankle be okay, Medvedev will next face Spain’s 28th-ranked Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin.
Defending champion Taylor Fritz dug deep into his arsenal to beat Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 6-3 to reach the last eight.
AFP, REUTERS
