Former champion Daniil Medvedev dismissed wildcard Sebastian Gorzny in straight sets to reach the US Open third round for the eighth time in nine years.
The seventh seed surged to a convincing 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 win over the underdog, who has only beaten one top 100 player in his career, in the first round against Raphael Collignon. Gorzny, who is currently ranked outside the top 700, booked his place in the main draw by winning the USTA American Collegiate Player Wildcard Playoff.
Throughout the 126-minute clash, Medvedev dictated proceedings on the Armstrong Court by hitting 38 winners against 22 unforced errors and winning 87% of his first service points. He was tested throughout the third set, starting four consecutive service games down 0-15 and saving a break point at 6-5 before sealing victory.
“I was happy with my level. I felt the first two sets, he was not playing the best and I managed to be strong and take him on,” said Medvedev.
“The third set was much more competitive, it was a really tough moment, tough points.
“I put a bit more pressure on him than he did on me, managed to stay tough and win.”
The match was a fairly ordinary encounter except for one unusual occurrence. During the second set, two birds were sitting on the net whilst a lengthy rally took place. One bird flew away as Medvedev hit a forehand that seemingly would have won him the point. However, the umpire ruled it to be a let and the point had to be replayed.
“I saw them (the birds) straight away, and I thought the point would stop straight away. But it didn’t. Then we play for 45 seconds, and the moment I hit the winner, we say, “Stop.” Medvedev explained.
“I was like, why? We’re playing for 45 seconds, but it’s okay. I was not happy with the decision but it is what it is and you cannot do anything with it. The situation was pretty crazy.”
Medvedev has won 35 main draw matches at the US Open in his career, which is the fourth-highest among active players on the ATP Tour. The only players to have won more are Marin Cilic (41), Stan Wawrinka (46) and Novak Djokovic (95).
His run in Flushing Meadows comes after what has been a challenging few weeks. Before the US Open, Medvedev lost three out of four matches played at North American hard court events. This week is the first time he has recorded back-to-back wins since Wimbledon.
“Sometimes tennis is a tough sport,” he said.
“In life, I’m a happy person. Still, whenever you lose two first rounds, you don’t feel good in your everyday life. You win a couple of matches, maybe your life is not great for whatever reason, but you’re like, Oh, everything is good.
“I just try to do what I have to do to win some matches because it brings me joy. When I lose, I try to find joy outside somewhere, try to do something I like.”
As it currently stands, Medvedev is one of three players still in the men’s tournament who have previously won a major title, along with Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. He will next play either 26th seed Arthur Rinderknech or Jaume Munar.
