Daniil Medvedev displayed what commentators described as the "essence of tennis excellence" in his first-round clash against Arthur Fils, winning the match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.
The World No. 3 has had a successful season, achieving two Masters titles in Rome and Miami and reaching the final of the US Open, where he finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic. However, he faced shock and disappointment earlier this month when he was defeated by Sebastian Korda in the second round of the Shanghai Masters.
Nevertheless, this clearly doesn't seem to have deterred him too much, as he began his run at the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna in style. His opponent was rising talent Fils, who won the Lyon Open earlier this year.
The match started out with both players holding their serve until the set was level at 3-3. At this point, Medvedev secured a break point, which he successfully converted after Fils hit the ball into the net during a rally.
The 27-year-old continued to power on after this, keeping unforced errors to a minimum. While his 19-year-old opponent was able to avoid losing the set on a double break, it wasn't long before Medvedev served for the opener with an impressive W-0 hold, sealing the deal at 40-0 with an ace.
He then proceeded to carry this dominance into the second set, breaking Fils on his first service game. From there, the French player was unable to get back into the match as the Russian pushed ahead, obtaining a double break for a 4-1 lead.
Although Fils held his next service game, Medvedev then successfully served for the match, once again finishing it off with a W-0 hold and an ace on the final point to book himself a spot in the next round, where he will face World No. 17 Grigor Dimitrov.
Medvedev beats Arthur Fils 6-4 6-2 in Vienna The way Daniil just dispatched a very in-form star of the future is a subtle reminder of how ridiculously good he is. Everything about his game is so buttoned up. Not flawless, but pretty damn close. ✅Won 12 of last 15 matches
