Third seed Daniil Medvedev started his struggle at this year’s China Open by beating Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-4, Friday (27/9), to reach the second round.
Medvedev cruised to victory in 92 minutes and bounced back quickly from losses to Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton last week at the Laver Cup.
Meanwhile, Monfils’ efforts to win were thwarted by his inability to match Medvedev’s consistency. According to ATP statistics, the Frenchman made 46 unforced errors, while Medvedev made only 22 unforced errors.
“I think the game plan didn’t change much (throughout the match),” Medvedev said as quoted by Between.
“On the one hand, we both like to attack. I think I’m probably a bit more attacking than him, but I think he has difficulty attacking. He defends very well. You have to
be a very good striker, like one of the best, or you have to wait for an opportunity.”
“So that’s what I tried to do. Wait for my chance. I thought I had more chances, so I thought I deserved to win,” said Medvedev, who will face Adrian Mannarino in the second round.
Also read: Despite winning, Daniil Medvedev criticizes the referee’s performance at the Monte Carlo Masters
By beating Monfils, Medvedev earned his 40th tour-level win for the season. This is the sixth time the 28-year-old has reached that number in his career, and his latest win also boosts his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals.
Medvedev remains fourth in the ATP Live Race To Turin, 580 points ahead of fifth-placed Taylor Fritz.
“To be honest, winning is not that important because it depends on how many tournaments you play, but it’s still nice to win a lot of matches,” Medvedev said.
“So, I’m happy that I managed to keep winning matches. I still have some tournaments to play, so I have the opportunity to increase my points tally.”
“I try to be consistent throughout the year. Sometimes I’m more consistent, sometimes less, but that’s what I want to do,” said Medvedev. (Z-6)
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