2 minutes This victory marked Medvedev's 350th career win!
Daniil Medvedev moved closer to his first career title defence by overcoming Germany's Dominik Koepfer with a 7-6, 6-0 victory on Tuesday, advancing to the Miami Open quarter-finals.
Despite a challenging start, the Russian third seed managed to secure four break points and was broken only once, maintaining his record of not dropping a set in the tournament.
Koepfer took an early lead in the match, holding serve to a 4-3 advantage in the opening set. However, Medvedev rallied to win a tiebreak after initially trailing by four points, and then dominated the second set by breaking Koepfer's serve early on for a 4-0 lead, finishing the match with a break to love.
Medvedev shared his strategic insights post-match, stating:
"Sometimes it happens when you lose the first set the way he lost...it brings your (opponent's) energy down and I knew that I had to use it (to my advantage) in the beginning of the second set - that's where it was the most important."
This victory also marked Medvedev's 350th career win.
In another match, No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz defeated 23rd seed Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets, despite delays due to a power outage. Alcaraz, aiming for the Sunshine Double after beating Medvedev in Indian Wells, reflected on his playing style, saying,
"I knew that his style was playing from the back with spin and I was trying to not let him feel comfortable on the court. I tried to play aggressive with my shots and go to the net, play drops shots and I'm really happy with my performance."
He further expressed his current state:
"Without doubt it's my best feeling for a long time. I feel great on the court, I'm moving great with no injuries, I'm not thinking about the ankle on the court. Of course, I'm taking care about it every day but I think this is the best feeling since the summer."
Medvedev is poised to play against Chile's Nicolas Jarry next. Our Tipster has tipped Madvedev to win 2-1 against Jarry.
Elsewhere in the tournament, No. 2 seed Jannik Sinner and unseeded Tomas Machac advanced, with a notable moment when Sinner assisted a spectator affected by the heat. Grigor Dimitrov set up a quarter-final match against Alcaraz, while Alexander Zverev's late-night victory over Karen Khachanov secured his quarter-final spot against Fabian Marozsan, who had previously upset ninth seed Alex de Minaur.
| ATP Miami Open Winner Odds (Bet365) | |
|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz | 13/8 |
| Jannik Sinner | 8/5 |
| Daniil Medvedev | 3 |
| Alexander Zverev | 7 |
| Grigor Dimitrov | 22 |
| Fabian Marozsan | 50 |
| Nicolas Jarry | 66 |
| Tomas Machac | 66 |