Daniil Medvedev’s Struggles on Clay Continue as He Falls to Karen Khachanov in Monte-Carlo

Ocher is still not his best friend. For his second match of the season on clay and the day after his victory against Gaël Monfils (6-2, 6-4), Daniil Medvedev lost in two sets (6-3, 7-5) against his compatriot Karen Khachanov this Thursday, in the round of 16 of the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo. Winner of the Masters 1000 in Rome last May on this same surface – a success on which he was unable to capitalize since he was then eliminated in the first round at Roland-Garros, the Russian regularly struggles on earth. In Monte-Carlo, where he plays at home (he lives in the principality), he has never managed to do better than a semi-final, in 2019.

This meeting started in a very strange way, with both men conceding their service game four times in a row (twice each). But Khachanov, then more authoritative in his commitment, was able to make the difference again, at 4-3 to break and conclude a game later, winning the first set in 53 minutes against Medvedev lost on his serve.

Medvedev loses his nerve again

Regularly in difficulty on his serve at the end of the match, Daniil Medvedev, who had just let a set point slip at 5-4, then lost his serve in the next game. Mad with rage, he then indulged in a gesture of annoyance, swinging his racket towards the back of the court. At the change of ends, he received a penalty point after losing his nerve again and speaking very vehemently to the referee.

With a 15-0 advantage before even attacking his service game, Khachanov was easily able to conclude, logically winning a match that he knew how to negotiate better, technically and emotionally. He will face the winner of an expected duel between Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals. This is already his best performance in the tournament, which he will try to improve to join his best feats on clay, two quarter-finals at Roland-Garros (in 2019 and 2023).

2024-04-11 11:29:58
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