mtenis.com.pl

Third seed chasing second major
Daniil Medvedev reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the first time on Monday when Czech Jiri Lehecka was forced to retire at the end of the second set due to injury.

The third seed, who is making his fifth appearance at The Championships, led the Lehecka 6-4, 6-2 on Court 1 when the 21-year-old retired. With his 80-minute win, Medvedev earned a Tour-leading 45th victory of the season.

Medvedev is chasing his second major title this week, after triumphing at the US Open in 2021. He will continue his quest in south west London against fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or American Christopher Eubanks.

By reaching the last eight, the 27-year-old has become the 10th active player to advance to the quarter-finals at all four majors. He is a two-time Australian Open finalist, while he advanced to the quarter-finals at Roland Garros in 2021.

The Official App Of Tennis | Download ATP WTA Live App

Meeting for the first time, long baseline exchanges were the order of the two sets played. Lehecka timed the ball cleanly and looked to pin Medvedev back with his depth, but the World No. 3 offered few errors and produced a strong serving display, winning 97 per cent (28/29) of points behind his first delivery.

Lehecka defeated Tommy Paul in five sets in the third round and looked fatigued during the clash against Medvedev, receiving a medical timeout at the end of the first set. Despite falling one match short of a second major quarter-final (Australian Open 2023), the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up leaves London at No. 32 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Third seed will face Alcaraz or Rune for a place in the final
Daniil Medvedev ended Christopher Eubanks’ dream run at Wimbledon on Wednesday, when he clawed past the American 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-1 to reach the semi-finals.

Eubanks, who less than four months ago had not cracked the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, captured the attention of fans throughout the world by advancing to the quarter-finals, and was within a tie-break of blasting his way into the last four at The Championships. But Medvedev did not panic and locked down from the baseline when it mattered most to move on after two hours and 57 minutes.

Earlier this year, Eubanks stepped into the spotlight when he reached the Miami quarter-finals as a qualifier. At the ATP Masters 1000 event, Medvedev ended the American’s run 6-3, 7-5.

The third seed was made to work a lot harder on No. 1 Court Wednesday and was within a few minutes of losing. But Medvedev was too solid in the critical moments, making only 13 unforced errors across five sets compared to 52 winners to set a clash against top seed Carlos Alcaraz or sixth seed Holger Rune. He is now 4-9 in five-setters.

The Official App Of Tennis | Download ATP WTA Live App

The crowd favourite, Eubanks hit back-to-back double faults to relinquish a break early in the first set, and Medvedev capitalised by playing a clean set with his usual assortment of jaw-dropping shots. One backhand passing shot left Eubanks shrugging in disbelief as if to say “Too good”. The third seed hit 16 winners to only one unforced error in the opener.

But from there, Eubanks settled in and responded with aggressive tennis. The American played with a joie de vivre and took in the atmosphere during the biggest moment of his career, often interacting with the crowd, which included close friend and WTA star Coco Gauff.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Eubanks cracked a couple of one-handed backhands to seize a break for 3-1 in the second set. That proved to be just the beginning of his turnaround.

Eubanks did not allow Medvedev to spin his defensive web on the London grass. Without overplaying, the two-time college All-American went for his shots and forced the action on his opponent, relying on his booming serve to escape jams and frequently moving forward.

But when it mattered most in the fourth-set tie-break, Medvedev forced his opponent to take the match from him by playing from the baseline and preventing the recent Mallorca champion from moving forward.

Eubanks played 61 points at the net in the first four points, but just five in the deciding set. The match was suddenly played on the favourite's terms.

Medvedev capitalised on the momentum shift early in the fifth set and immediately broke when the 6’7” former college star hit a double fault into the net. Although the American battled hard until the end, the third seed pulled away. Eubanks shared a special moment with the crowd, making a heart with his hands as he departed.