Fighting In Four Sets, Daniil Medvedev Advances To The Quarter-finals Of The Australian Open

Daniil Medvedev's performance at the 2022 Australian Open. (ATP Tour)

JAKARTA - World number two Daniil Medvedev lost his cool in a fierce four-set match to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals on Monday. The Russian requested a medical timeout to massage his lower back and spar with the referee before winning 6-2 7-6 (4) 6-7(7) 7-5 over American Maxime Cressy in three hours 30 minutes at Margaret Court Arena. It was Medvedev's second consecutive quarter-final appearance in Melbourne, where he will next face the ninth seed from Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat former finalist Marin Cilic of Croatia in four sets. difficult mental state," Medvedev said. "I had so many break points in the fourth set, I just wanted to score one." I definitely had a few break points where I could have played it a little better. "He still gave me a chance to be in that game, but it was a really bad game," he added. The match was Medvedev's biggest challenge so far in this year's opening major tournament. The combination of Cressy's serve and the heat caused the Russian to lose her composure. Both Medvedev and Cressy both showed the effects of Melbourne's brutal heat by both calling trainers in the match. An annoyed Medvedev also clashed with the referee as Cressy bought time with his serve, arguing that he should have been given a time foul during a crucial stage of the fourth set. Daniil Medvedev, runner-up at last year's Australian Open, is favorite in the absence of deported defending champion Novak Djokovic.