Author: Barkha Roy
Daniil Medvedev showed his composure to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the China Open, beating the typically tough Alex de Minaur on Saturday.
Medvedev, the second seed, claimed a 7-6(3), 6-3 victory in Beijing, even after his Australian opponent recovered from a 2-5 deficit in the first set to force a tie-break. This clash marked the third meeting in four tour-level events between the two players (Toronto, US Open, Beijing) and Medvedev wasn’t surprised by De Minaur’s determination.
Medvedev on 🔥 @DaniilMedwed | @ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen
– ATP Tour (@atptour) September 30, 2023
Medvedev managed to convert three of his nine break points, securing his Tour-leading 40th hard-court win of the season. He now has a 6-2 record in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with De Minaur. After losing to the Australian in the quarter-finals of Toronto in August, Medvedev was pleased to secure two consecutive wins against the world number 12, having also triumphed in four sets at the US Open last month.
Advancing to the quarter-finals for the 13th time in 18 tour-level tournaments in 2023, Medvedev’s next opponent in the Chinese capital will be determined by the result of the match between Andrey Rublev and Ugo Humbert.
In a separate match, Carlos Alcaraz defeated qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 6-4, 6-3 at the Beijing ATP 500 tournament, marking the start of his end-of-season campaign to regain the top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
This win in his first match on the ATP Tour in China took Alcaraz’s season record for first-round matches to an impressive 14-0 and his overall record to 59-7, leading the ATP Tour in total wins. Alcaraz also tops the ATP Tour in titles (8) and finals (6) this season, both personal records.
A first match win in China!
👏@carlosalcaraz comes through 6-4 6-3 against Hanfmann to begin his Beijing campaign!#ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/LgelTrDOHi– Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 29, 2023
Despite facing some challenges, including losing a break lead in the first set, Alcaraz’s strong start in Beijing and his ability to break Hanfmann’s resistance were decisive. He closed out the match with five breaks of serve in 16 chances.
Alcaraz will now face Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the next round, with the chance to close the gap on world number one Novak Djokovic in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin by winning the title in Beijing.