Russia’s world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev advanced to the semi-finals of Mexico’s Los Cobos tournament on hard courts with an easy win over Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis on Thursday in the quarter-finals.
Medvedev continued his successful return to the stadiums after an absence of about 6 weeks, notably after his exit from the quarter-finals in Mallorca, Spain on June 23, before he missed the Wimbledon tournament due to a ban on players from Russia and Belarus as a result Russian special operation in Ukraine.
It took Medvedev 79 minutes to clear the Berankis impediment after beating Australian qualifier Rinke Hijikata 6-4 6-3 in 90 minutes on Wednesday with relative difficulty as he took his 250th win of his professional career .
Medvedev will meet in the 1/8 finals with Serb Miomir Kichmanovic, ranked 38th in the world and fourth in the tournament, who defeated American Brandon Nakashima, who placed sixth, 6-2 6-4.
Medvedeva beat Kichmanovich in the third round of the French Open, the second Grand Slam tournament, at Roland Garros in late May in their first match.
Esta sutileza de @DaniilMedwed ????@AbiertoLosCabos | #ATC2022pic.twitter.com/rzQPxYutiB
— ATP Tour en Español (@ATPTour_ES) August 5, 2022
Medvedev is preparing to defend his title in the US Championship, the last of four Grand Slams, at Flushing Meadows, which he won last year at the expense of Serb Novak Djokovic, his rival for world number one.
Medvedev guarantees that he will remain at the top of the world rankings if he reaches the final of the Los Cobos tournament, which will play Flushing Meadows, scheduled for the period from August 29 to September 11.
Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to the second semi-final by defeating American Steve Johnson 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).
In the next round, Auger-Aliassime will face Britain’s Cameron Nuri III or Macedonia’s Radu Albot.
Source: AFP