Russian tennis star and World No.3 player Daniil Medvedev displayed his grit and mental toughness during his second round win against Emil Ruusuvuori at Australian Open 2024 on Thursday, January 18.
Medvedev fought back hard to pull off a thrilling win in five sets - 3-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-0 for four hours and 20 minutes on the court to advance to the third round at Melbourne Park.
The qualifier Ruusuvuori delivered an impressive performance, breaking the third seed Russian player with his brilliant crosscourt and clean baseline hitting to take two sets.
Despite having a 2-set lead, the Finnish player couldn’t capitalize on it as Daniil Medvedev upped his game to take the next three sets to win the match, completing his sensational comeback.
Daniil Medvedev was just two points away from an early exit at the Australian Open as he was trailing 4-5 in the fourth set. However, the 27-year-old won the next two games and a tiebreak to take the match to the decider.
In the fifth and final set, Medevdev asserted his dominance as Emil Ruussuvuori seemed to have lost his rhythm due to discomfort on his shoulder. Daniil Medvedev made too many unforced errors, with 21 in the second set alone, making things difficult for himself after losing two sets.
However, Medvedev didn't let the match slip away from him and made an incredible comeback to keep his campaign going at Australian Open 2024.
This one will surely stay in my memory - Daniil Medvedev after tough 2nd round win
Daniil Medvedev didn't shy away from admitting that his second win against Emil Ruusuvuori, adding that this stay will in his memory. The Russian tennis star also said that he was exhausted while entering the court and the Finnish player was well prepared for the contest.
"Tough, tough, tough. "I think I’ve only won two matches from two sets down and one of them was here. This one will surely stay in my memory." Medvedev said in his on-court interview.
"it was actually very tough. The thing with tennis is that you never know when you have to hit and warm up for your turn. Here it was too early. So when I went on court I was already exhausted. He (Emil Ruusuvuori) was better prepared in the beginning." he added.
Daniil Medvedev will meet Canadian tennis star Felix Auger Aliassime in the third round of men's singles at Australian Open.
