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op seed is making his fourth appearance at ATP 250 event
Daniil Medvedev kicked off his grass-court season with victory Thursday, moving past Gilles Simon 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

The 26-year-old, who is up to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, grew into the match against the Frenchman at the ATP 250 grass-court event. Medvedev saved three set points in the first set as he rallied from 2-5 down, before he clicked into gear in the second set to secure victory after one hour and 54 minutes.

The top seed dominated the longer exchanges with his flat hitting to earn a first victory over Simon, improving to 1-3 in their ATP Head2Head series. He will next play Ilya Ivashka after the World No. 49 defeated Finn Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 6-2.

Last season Medvedev captured his first grass-court tour-level title in Mallorca. The 13-time tour-level champion is still searching for his first trophy of 2022, with his best result a run to the final at the Australian Open.

World No. 2 to face defending champion Mannarino in semi-finals
Daniil Medvedev moved a step closer to celebrating his impending return to World No. 1 with a trophy thanks to a gritty display against Ilya Ivashka in the quarter-finals at the Libema Open on Friday.

The top seed was clinical in taking his chances in a tight opening set and was resilient in defence in the second to complete a 7-6(8), 6-4 victory at the ATP 250 event in in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Although Medvedev struggled to find his free-flowing best against the World No. 41, he displayed top-class movement to frustrate his opponent and wrap up a one-hour, 51-minute victory.

“I didn’t do so good in the beginning of the first set, but finally we both managed to find our rhythm, there were great points," said Medvedev in his on-court interview. "It was a matter of a few points where sometimes I served well or got a bit lucky at 8-8 [a net cord in the first-set tie-break], and that’s tennis sometimes. So today I was better in the deciding moments and sometimes luck was on my side, and that made a big difference.”


Regardless of how much further he progresses in The Netherlands, Medvedev is set to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday when ranking points from 2021 Roland Garros drop. The 26-year-old feels the grass represents a big opportunity for him to solidify that position.

“I don’t have many points to defend on grass and I have some to win, so hopefully I can play well, starting here," he said. "Every round is points and the higher you get, the more you need to step up."

An intriguing first set saw both players struggle to find their rhythm and four consecutive breaks from the third game reflected an error-strewn contest as neither player was able to take charge. That pattern continued into the tie-break, but it was Medvedev who found the consistency to take the set as he fended off an Ivashka set point before converting his third to edge ahead.

Medvedev struggled to regularly hit through Ivashka with his groundstrokes, but he stayed alert to deal with everything his opponent threw at him in the pair’s third tour-level meeting. Ivashka grew into the match and struck the ball cleanly to test the World No. 2 but Medvedev effectively nullified his power before finding a crucial moment to strike. The top seed produced a high-quality game at 5-4 in the second set, breaking to love to reach his first semi-final since Acapulco in February.

The win earned Medvedev a 2-1 lead in his ATP Head2Head series with Ivashka, who is winless in his three tour-level quarter-finals in 2022.

Medvedev’s semi-final opponent is Adrian Mannarino.

26-year-old reaches first tour-level final since Australian Open in January
Yet to pick up a title in 2022, Daniil Medvedev seems intent on rectifying that record this week at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

The World No. 2 ended Adrian Mannarino’s eight-match winning streak at the ATP 250 event with a 7-5, 7-5 victory on Saturday to book a championship match appointment with Dutch wild card Tim Van Rijthoven.

A feature of Medvedev’s performances this week in the Netherlands has been his ability to find a way to win even when struggling for rhythm. The win over Mannarino was again more solid than spectacular, but Medvedev will be delighted with the way he handled a genuine grass-court threat in the shape of the flat-hitting Frenchman.

“Adrian plays good and some games in this match I was like, OK, I can’t do anything," said Medvedev in his on-court interview. "I had to just continue playing my tennis. He was unbelievable sometimes, missing sometimes, so I just continued my game and it managed to work today.”

Should Medvedev defeat No. 205-ranked Van Rijthoven in Sunday’s final, it will give the 26-year-old a double cause for celebration. Regardless of the result, he will reclaim the No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday when rankings points from 2021 Roland Garros drop.

“Last time I saw him was in juniors," said Medvedev. "Probably we saw each other last when we 18 years old and he was always playing good on grass, so I’m not surprised. It’s a surface where sometimes we have these sensations. He’s a great player so I’m ready for a big fight tomorrow.

“It would be great [to win] but it is never easy. I have to show my best tennis. Even if I lose, I have no regrets, but of course I will try my best. Every time you are in a final you want to win.”

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A topsy-turvy opening set featured five breaks of serve, with Mannarino’s aggressive style keeping the top seed alert, but it was Medvedev who made the crucial move. The 26-year-old broke for a third time when leading 6-5 to clinch the set after a below-bar service game from the Mannarino.

The second set also appeared to be narrowly going Medvedev’s way as his impressive defence secured a break in the fifth game that gave him the chance to serve for the match at 5-4, but Mannarino’s consistent ballstriking and ability to skim clean winners off the grass pegged the top seed back to 5-5.

A mammoth 11th game on the Mannarino serve followed that ultimately proved decisive for Medvedev to secure victory. He broke the Frenchman’s resistance by converting his fourth break point of the game before serving out to complete a one-hour, 56-minute victory.

The win avenged Medvedev’s second-round loss to Mannarino in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2016 and reduced his deficit in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series to 2-3. Medvedev is hunting the second grass-court title of his career this week, having lifted the trophy at the Mallorca Championships in 2021.