Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev enjoyed a comfortable evening at Rod Laver Arena, seeing off talented young Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-4 6-3 6-2 to reach the fourth round of Australian Open 2020.
Popyrin had enjoyed impressive wins over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Jaume Munar in the opening couple of rounds, but the US Open finalist was always likely to be a step too far for the talented 20-year-old, who struggled noticeably with a hip injury the longer the match went.
So rapid has been the 198cm Medvedev’s ascent to the top of men’s tennis, it’s easy to forget that it was a mere 12 months ago that he reached the fourth round of a major for the first time. He produced an assured display on Saturday night to set up a tantalising clash with former champion Stan Wawrinka.
"I think I didn't lose my serve," said Medvedev. "Had maybe only a couple of breakpoints, maybe only two or three. That's the most important in matches in Grand Slams, to try to hold your serve easy, to make your job easier. I have some things I maybe could have done better in my mind. At the same time, won quite easy today. Really happy about it. Can save some energy for next round."
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Popyrin, another giant man at 196cm with a flashy serve and a taste for the big time – he also beat Dominic Thiem at Australian Open 2019 – was never short of enterprise. He put together plenty for the highlights reel, firing aces, deftly cushioning volleys, and slapping one forehand return past the Russian which drew an encore of gasps from the crowd.
However, Medvedev is quickly acquiring the knack of preserving energy in the early rounds of the majors, and there was always a sense he had another gear or two in reserve if required.
He went about his business in his trademark meticulous, calculated fashion, biding his time while Popyrin pounded aces and crushed forehands, and pouncing whenever he slacked. Rather than chasing hotspots, the Medvedev style is simply to refuse to miss. Trading relentlessly from well behind the baseline, the Russian almost teases opponents to attack him, using his long levers to pick them off if they dare.
It isn’t tennis for the purists, but it is highly effective both at winning matches and needling opponents. After losing to the Russian in Shanghai in October, Stefanos Tsitsipas remarked waspishly afterwards that playing him was “very boring.”
But while Tsitsipas is now on his way home, having lost to Milos Raonic on Friday evening, Medvedev marches on into the second week, and towards a potential blockbuster semifinal with Rafael Nadal.
"Stan is a big hitter, great serves," said Medvedev on his fourth-round clash with Wawrinka.
"I'm going to work a little bit on return, maybe will work just to be aggressive myself, to not let him all the time he wants because that's when he's the most dangerous. I will just have to give my best on the court."