Medvedev escapes all-night match at Australian Open

Australia's third seed Daniil Medvedev lost two sets but still overcame difficulties, defeating Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6, 6-7(1), 6-4, 7-6(1), 6-0 in a match that lasted until nearly 4am on January 19.

Medvedev's five-set match did not end until 3:40 a.m. in Melbourne. Most of the crowd left Rod Laver Arena while the match was still underway, some of whom did not expect Medvedev to win.

The Russian started poorly, repeatedly missing shots and serving poorly, losing two sets. They were also two excellent sets for Ruusuvuori, who had trained with Rafael Nadal before the tournament. The Finn played solidly from the back of the court, then scored with a pair of backhands to the corners.

Medvedev saves the ball in the match against Ruusuvuori on the night of January 18. Photo: ATP — Medvedev saves the ball in the match against Ruusuvuori on the night of January 18. Photo: *ATP*

Medvedev would not have fallen into a dangerous situation if he had taken advantage of his serve game when leading 5-3 in the second set. But the Russian suddenly lost his rhythm, letting his opponent equalize and then losing 1-7 in the tie-break. Ruusuvuori also had reason to regret when he played well in the fourth set and led 5-4. After this game, Medvedev angrily threw his racket, knocking over a water bottle. The third seed changed his racket and came back strongly to win the tie-break and enter the fifth set with a psychological advantage.

Ruusuvuori was exhausted by 3 a.m., and Medvedev showed his experience playing long matches late at night. He constantly put his junior player on long balls and made his opponent miss. Ruusuvuori only scored eight points in the set, giving up after 28 minutes without winning a game.

"If I were you, I wouldn't have watched this match either," Medvedev joked about the end of the match, in his post-match interview. "Thank you for staying patiently. You guys are very strong. I've won twice after losing by two sets, both times here. It's a beautiful memory in my memory."

Medvedev will have what is expected to be a tough match in the third round, when he meets Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has played nine sets in his first two matches.

Like Medvedev, sixth seed Alexander Zverev was nearly eliminated on January 18. The German had to play a fifth set against qualifier Lukas Klein. Although ranked outside the top 150, Klein played brilliantly, leading 2-1 after the first three sets and dragging Zverev into two tie-breaks in the last two sets. His courage helped Zverev overcome the difficulties when he won both nerve-wracking matches with scores of 7-5 and 10-7.

Zverev will play another unseeded player, Alex Michelsen, in the third round. If he advances, the 2020 US Open runner-up will face either seed Cameron Norrie or seed Casper Ruud.

Vy Anh

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