NEW DELHI: Russian tennis star
Daniil Medvedev
secured a hard-fought victory over Portugal's
Nuno Borges
to advance to the
quarter-finals
of the
Australian Open
.
The two-time runner-up faced a resilient Borges, who put up a strong challenge before Medvedev sealed the win with a scoreline of 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena.
Medvedev, the third seed, acknowledged Borges's efforts, stating, "Before this match, I was feeling 100 percent.
But he made me run in the third set, and that's why I missed a little bit too much. I was pretty dead, to be honest. In the fourth set, I managed to raise my energy levels."
The Russian will now face Polish ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals.
Reflecting on the match, Medvedev highlighted his opponent's resilience, saying, "He made me run in the third set, and that's why I missed a little bit too much. I was pretty dead, to be honest."
Despite Borges's courageous performance, the key difference in the match was the unforced error count, with Borges making 66 to Medvedev's 34. The Russian's baseline power and ability to navigate long rallies played a crucial role in securing the victory.
Medvedev, a finalist in the 2021 and 2022 Australian Opens, lost to
Novak Djokovic
and
Rafael Nadal
in those respective years. The Russian's goal is to go a step further this year and claim the Grand Slam title.
(With inputs from AFP)
English (US) ·