Medvedev muzzles Bublik to reach quarters in Madrid
We already knew it, but Daniil Medvedev has confirmed his progress in learning to play on ochre. While he's still better on the fast surface, his weaknesses on ochre seem to fade with time. Interviewed after his victory over Korda (5-7, 7-6, 6-3 in the third round), the Russian explained that his progress was mainly due to a change of attitude: "The feeling that it's not my favorite surface and that certain things bother me and don't allow me to play my best tennis on clay is still there. Now, with experience, I know a lot more about what I want to do with myself. That's why I'm pretty calm even if I lose the match. The question would be: Did I do what I wanted to do? [...] If I did well, that means the opponent was better than me. Whereas 3 or 4 years ago I felt completely lost on the pitch. Now I know what I have to do.
This trend was confirmed on Tuesday. In a disjointed duel in which Bublik alternated between marvellous winners and gross errors (33 winners, 27 unforced errors), it was finally the Russian's solidity and sobriety that made the difference (only 8 unforced errors). Taking no risks but giving almost nothing away, Daniil Medvedev finally broke an inconsistent Kazakh (7-6, 6-4 in 1h44).
In the quarter-finals, Daniil Medvedev will face the winner of the duel between Rafael Nadal and Jiri Lehecka.
