Mathieu Warnier, Media365, published on Wednesday June 19, 2024 at 7:50 p.m.
Daniil Medvedev was eliminated in the round of 16 of the ATP tournament in Halle by Zhizhen Zhang, victorious in three sets.
Daniil Medvedev still needs to work on his game on grass. If his success against Nuno Borges may have been reassuring on the occasion of his entry into contention in the ATP tournament in Halle, the Russian did not make it past the round of 16 on German grass. Indeed, the number 3 seed of the tournament fell in three sets against Zhizhen Zhang. In a first round which saw the servers clearly to their advantage, the slightest air gap was going to be costly. And it was Daniil Medvedev who gave up in the sixth game. If he was able to keep away three break points, he saw the Chinese have the last word on the fourth opportunity to take his serve. An advantage that the 42nd in the world did not let escape, translating onto the scoreboard the ascendancy gained on the court from his first set point. The second set started exactly like the first, that is to say with two imperturbable players serving. However, it was Zhizhen Zhang who showed signs of excitement in the sixth game.
Medvedev outpaced by Zhang
On the lookout for the slightest opportunity, Daniil Medvedev did not fail to seize the ball to take his opponent’s service. A hard-fought second break allowed the world number 5 to take his opponent into a third round. Taking advantage of his momentum, the Russian immediately took Zhizhen Zhang’s serve to lead two games to nothing. However, the Chinese had the resources to immediately erase this gap. From then on, there was no longer the slightest break point to report and it was a decisive game which made it possible to decide between the two players. If Daniil Medvedev took a point from the start on his opponent’s serve, it was Zhizhen Zhang who had the last word. Winning six of the last seven points, the Chinese sealed the fate of the match on the first match point (6-3, 2-6, 7-6 in 2h07′) and will be Christopher Eubanks’ opponent in the quarter-finals . The American defeated number 7 seed Alexander Bublik in three sets (7-6, 4-6, 6-3 in 2h12′).
