Meltdown in Monte-Carlo: Daniil Medvedev Eliminated in Round of 16 by Karen Khachanov

He broke down again, but this time he didn’t have time to recover. Daniil Medvedev was eliminated Thursday in the round of 16 of the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo by his compatriot Karen Khachanov, 17th in the ATP ranking. Overall dominated and still very nervous, the world number 4 logically lost in two sets (6-3, 7-5) and a little less than two hours of play (1h53 exactly) on the Rainier-III court, slipping completely after conceding a final crippling break. His tormentor will face Alexander Zverev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-final.

He had already gotten angry with the linesman and the referee when he entered the fray on Wednesday and, obviously, the night did not calm him down. While serving at 5-5, 15/30 against him in the second set, Daniil Medvedev lost a key point which awarded his opponent two break points. But during this exchange, a forehand that was too crossed by Karen Khachanov was not called a “fault”. The refereeing error brought the world number 4 out of his hinges who, after being broken, swung his racket before vehemently attacking the referee and the supervisor. Carlos Bernardes then took responsibility by inflicting a penalty point on him, following two warnings.

Khachanov clearly superior

If Medvedev’s frustration was legitimate, his reaction turned out to be totally disproportionate and revealing a state of nervous tension that was far too high, undoubtedly linked to what was happening on the court. Because from this point of view, Khachanov did not steal his victory, far from it. More enterprising, more precise, more powerful than his compatriot, he logically won. After 4 consecutive breaks to start the game between the two men, he was the strongest on his serve to take the lead (6-3), then dismiss an equalizing ball at a set everywhere at 5-4 against him. ‘a powerful first ball to the T.

Before the final incident, Medvedev had generally suffered in this match, making more errors than usual (29 unforced errors including 8 double faults). In these conditions, and given the state of form of his opponent, he could not hope for any other outcome. After a big Indian Wells-Miami sequence where he was a finalist then a semi-finalist, he clearly needs a break and those who referee him will not complain.

2024-04-11 11:32:00
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