TENNIS: Medvedev turns up the aggression to beat De Jong at Australian Open

MELBOURNE – Former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev kicked off his Australian Open campaign with a 7-5, 6-2, 7-6(2) win over Jesper de Jong, advancing to the second round on Monday.

The three-time Australian Open finalist looked to build momentum from his recent title win in Brisbane. In sunny conditions, however, both players struggled with their serves early on, leading to five breaks in the opening set.

Medvedev finally secured the set by breaking de Jong at 5-5 and serving it out. He sealed the set with a powerful backhand winner just before the hour mark.

While the first set was a roller-coaster, the second set turned into one-way traffic. Medvedev raced to a 4-0 lead, applying constant pressure and using a mix of forehand and backhand winners. De Jong’s frequent errors helped Medvedev maintain control.

Despite brief moments of resistance from de Jong, Medvedev’s aggression at key moments allowed him to dominate. The Russian also displayed strong net play, taking command of the match and moving 2-0 ahead with relative ease.

In the third set, Medvedev broke early to lead 2-1. He then relaxed slightly, appearing content to serve out the match. However, two double faults at 5-4 allowed de Jong to level the set and force a tiebreak.

In the tiebreak, Medvedev showed no signs of weakness, closing out the match confidently.

— Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters