Medvedev downs Kecmanovic to reach Adelaide quarters
IMAGE: Daniil Medvedev competes against Miomir Kechmanovic of Serbia. Photograph: Sarah Reed/Getty Images
Daniil Medvedev reached the Adelaide International 1 quarter-finals with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Miomir Kecmanovic on Wednesday, moving a step closer to a potential semi-final showdown with Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open warm-up event.
Former U.S. Open champion Medvedev was pushed hard in the previous round by Lorenzo Sonego, saving nine set points before winning the first set, but had an easier time of it against Serbian Kecmanovic, the world number 29.
“I think it was a great match. Miomir is a tough opponent, a high-ranked player, so there are no easy guys left in Adelaide,” Medvedev said.
“I’m not sure there were (any easy opponents) from the first round, so I’m happy to be through, happy with my level.”
Up next for world number seven Medvedev is a meeting with compatriot and eighth seed Karen Khachanov, who beat Briton Jack Draper 6-4, 6-2.
“I was expecting a tough battle against Jack because we had a good battle at the U.S. Open which unfortunately finished not in a way I wanted,” said Khachanov, who prevailed when Draper retired with a hamstring injury at Flushing Meadows last year.
“He’s on a good run, he is a young, rising player. From the beginning to the end I played a solid match … with all the components of my game, I was pretty satisfied today.”
Also advancing to the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 tournament was Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, who followed up his stunning win over Paris Masters champion Holger Rune with a 6-4 6-3 victory over American Mackenzie McDonald.
The Australian Open runs from Jan. 16-29 at Melbourne Park.
Sabalenka survives scare to reach Adelaide quarters
IMAGE: Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka reacts during her second round match against Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova. Photograph: Loren Elliott/Reuters
World number five Aryna Sabalenka was made to toil by Liudmila Samsonova before the Belarusian sealed a 7-6(8), 7-6(3) victory that secured her place in the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International 1 WTA 500 tournament on Wednesday.
Having received a bye into the second round, second seed Sabalenka started sluggishly to find herself in trouble trailing by five games to one but the 24-year-old roared back to save six set points and claim the opening set in the tie-break.
After the pair traded breaks other early in the next set, Sabalenka showed her mental toughness again in the tie-break to seal her first win of the season in two hours and 15 minutes.
“When it’s 1-5 down it’s nothing to lose and you just go for your shots without thinking,” said Sabalenka, who avenged her November defeat by the Russian Samsonova in Guadalajara.
“I think that really helped me to stay in the set and keep fighting, keep trying … It’s definitely tough to start after the bye and especially against a player like Liudmila.
“She’s an incredible player with a huge serve, so it was a tough match and I’m super happy with this win.”
Sabalenka will next face former French Open runner-up Marketa Vondrousova, who handed Kaia Kanepi a bagel en route to a 6-0, 6-4 victory.
Martya Kostyuk rallied past Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3, while former U.S. Open winner Bianca Andreescu was thumped 6-4 6-0 by fourth seed Veronika Kudermetova.
STEPHENS CRASHES OUT IN AUCKLAND
Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, fell to a 6-3, 7-6(5) defeat at the hands of unseeded Spaniard Rebeka Masarova in a match that resumed on Wednesday after being suspended due to rain the previous day.
Fellow major champion Sofia Kenin battled past Wang Xinyu 7-6(6), 6-3 to set up a meeting with top seed Coco Gauff as rain continued to affect the WTA 250 tournament, forcing matches to be played indoors.
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