Daniil Medvedev Advances to His First Quarterfinal of the Season in Marseille
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Synopsis
Daniil Medvedev secured a spot in his first quarter-final of the season by defeating Pierre-Hugues Herbert at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille. His impressive performance included winning 90% of his first-serve points.
Key Takeaways
- Medvedev reached his first quarter-final of the year.
- He won against Herbert with a score of 6-2, 6-4.
- Achieved a 90% first-serve win rate.
- Seeks his first title since May 2023.
- Next opponent is Jan-Lennard Struff.
Marseille, Feb 14 (NationPress) Daniil Medvedev triumphed over French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert with a score of 6-2, 6-4 at the Open 13 Provence, marking his first quarter-final appearance of the season.
The World No. 8 secured 90 percent (26/29) of his first-serve points, enhancing his record to 3-1 in the ATP Head-to-Head match-up against Herbert, as per ATP statistics.
Previously, Medvedev faced a second-round exit against American Learner Tien at the Australian Open and was also ousted in the second round in Rotterdam by Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci.
Medvedev commented, "I suffered an early loss in Australia. I often wonder if after good performances there, my body feels fatigued. So, I thought it was wise to take things slowly. However, I played two challenging matches, which encouraged me to participate in more tournaments, and Marseille is one I enjoy."
The wild card player is in pursuit of his first title since clinching victory in Rome in May 2023 and will face Jan-Lennard Struff next, after the German player defeated Hugo Grenier 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
In earlier matches, Zhang Zhizhen caused an upset by defeating fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-3, thus advancing to his 11th ATP Tour quarter-final. The Chinese athlete outperformed Hurkacz, who made it to the semi-finals at the ATP 500 in Rotterdam last week, with 37 winners compared to 30 during their two-hour, eight-minute encounter.
Zhang's win over Hurkacz marks his first victory against a Top 20 opponent on hard courts since he bested the Polish player in Tokyo in 2023. The World No. 52, who has a 3-7 record in tour-level quarter-finals, is set to face Zizou Bergs next.
Belgium’s Bergs outlasted eighth seed Nuno Borges with a score of 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-2, reaching his fifth tour-level quarter-final (1-3) and third indoors.
Bergs showed resilience after a tight second set loss, dominating the final set without facing a single break point and winning 100 percent (10/10) of his first-serve points, according to ATP reports.
