Daniil Medvedev (left) had opponent Cristian Garin in a heap on the floor (Image: Tennis TV/Twitter)
Daniil Medvedev left his opponent sprawled on the floor during an impressive victory at the Shanghai Masters. The commentator was left in awe as the world No. 3 engaged in a 13-shot rally before securing a point in his second-round match against Chile’s Cristian Garin.
Medvedev won the Shanghai Masters when it was last held in 2019 and made a winning return to defend his title – beating Garin in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. World No 98 ranked Garin provided a stern test but an in-form Medvedev had the answers during some hotly contested rallies.
One rally saw Medvedev make 13 return shots after Garin’s serve before the Russian hit a shot just inside the baseline to win point. Garin fell back as he hit the return into the net and was left in a heap on the floor.
The commentator said in awe: “Absolutely ridiculous defending from Daniil Medvedev. That is what he does to you, he’s out on his feet Cristian Garin.” Meanwhile the world No 3 hopes commented about his win: “There’s a long tournament ahead, with a lot of strong players, starting from my next match. But the goal for sure is to try and win this beautiful trophy one more time.”
Stringent Covid-19 restriction has meant the Chinese tournament has been off the calendar for the last three years. Medvedev added: “I’m definitely happy to be back in Shanghai. I honestly feel great and I want to stay here as long as possible.”
Earlier this week Medvedev lost the China Open final to Jannik Sinner, who begins his tournament against American Marcos Giron. Top seed Carlos Alcaraz will be looking for revenge after being beaten in the China Open by eventual winner Sinner.
Medvedev has experience on his side having won 20 titles at 20 different tournaments so has never won the same event twice. After the China Open final, he added: “I hope that I can break that streak because I have four tournaments left to play this year and I have already won all four.
“I trust that I can break that streak and win one of them. I think everyone is a little tired. We are at the end of the season.”
