ATP Halle: Daniil Medvedev masters Ilya Ivashka (7-6, 6-3) and reaches the quarter-finals

He apparently doesn’t let his frustration get the better of him. Deprived of the second Grand Slam tournament of the year (June 27-July 10), Daniil Medvedev is nonetheless playing hard this season on hard grass. Ilya Ivashka was able to realize this, he who certainly thought that the opportunity was good to make a big blow. All the more so when he got three first set balls (admittedly not consecutive) on the restart at 5-4. But the world number 1 saved them and showed him in the process that he was at least as keen on victory as he was.

Medvedev pulled out all the stops when needed

After a hung first set therefore snatched from the tie-break 7 points to 4, Medvedev moved up a gear. Lively in his lateral movements, boundless, precise on the counter, he also put on a show in passing to be the first (and only) to break in this part (7-6, 4-1). Author of 30 winning shots (for 18 unforced errors), the Russian even almost flew away in stride, but Ivashka showed a lot of character. First to avoid the double break therefore, then to get three balls to completely redo its delay at 3-2, 0/40.

It was at this point that Medvedev really pulled out all the stops to put out the opponent’s inclinations: he came back to par by hitting a winning volley and passing pass, releasing a “Go!” sound. This ability to raise his level when the moment requires it (6 break points discarded out of 6 in all) says a lot about his application. And if Ivashka won the best point of the game on match point against him at 5-2 – a sumptuous cross-cut backhand passing – it was the Russian who sealed the deal in stride on a play service white. In this form, it will be difficult to pick up this week.