Daniil Medvedev is one set from reaching his first Wimbledon quarter-final. The second seed led 14th seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-7(2) 6-3, 3-4 on Monday evening when play was suspended just after 6:30 p.m. local time due to rain.
Only four Russian men have advanced to the last eight at all four majors. If Medvedev completes his victory against the Polish star, he will become the fifth to accomplish the feat, joining Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Alex Metreveli, Marat Safin and Mikhail Youzhny.
Medvedev is also continuing his chase for the No. 1 FedEx ATP Ranking. If the 25-year-old wins the tournament, he will climb to tennis’ pinnacle. The Russian can also become World No. 1 by making the final if Novak Djokovic fails to reach the championship match.
First, the second seed will be worried about finishing off Hurkacz. The 24-year-old is competing in the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time. However, he has played big matches this year, especially in Miami, where he won his first ATP Masters 1000 title.
The Pole entered the match as the only player in the field who had not lost a set. Even more impressively, he had not lost a service game. But Medvedev broke his serve twice in the opening set on No. 2 Court to seize control of the match.
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Hurkacz has struggled to make inroads on the Russian’s service games — he has earned just one break point in the match — but he has fought hard to stay competitive with the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion. The three-time ATP Tour titlist has rushed the net at every opportunity, winning 68 per cent of those points (41/60), and he made key returns in the second-set tie-break to level the match.
But Medvedev has shown an ability to make tough passing shots from the back of the court and relied on his serve to avoid facing too much pressure. They are on serve in the fourth set.
If Medvedev defeats Hurkacz, he will join countryman Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals. It would be the first time in the Open Era that multiple Russian men advance to the last eight at Wimbledon.
The winner of this match will play eight-time champion Roger Federer or 23rd seed Lorenzo Sonego.
Source Tennis – ATP World Tour
