Medvedev displays solid form in 2nd round victory at the Australian Open

The No.4 seed needed just 2 hours to dispose of unseeded qualifier Pedro Martinez, 7-5 6-1 6-3. The Spaniard unexpectedly kept pace with the Russian, with the pair exchanging breaks early in the first set. However, Medvedev's accuracy and power were just too much for the qualifier. Martinez eventually succumbed to the onslaught from his higher-ranked opponent at 5-5, allowing Medvedev to claim the first set 7-5.

The 2019 US Open runner-up never looked back, continuously applying pressure and breaking Martinez twice to take the second set in 37 minutes.

Medvedev did face a few break points in the third set, as Martinez seemed bent on extending his stay on Margaret Court Arena. Nonetheless, the Russian employed some excellent serving coupled with huge groundstrokes to save each break point. The writing was on the wall as Medvedev broke for the final time at 5-3, winning a fairly competitive match.

A favorite to win this year's Australian Open and possibly break the stranglehold that the Big 3 have on the Grand Slams, Medvedev seems very confident. After battling past Frances Tiafoe in the previous round, the Russian superstar displayed a lot more composure in today's win. He next faces either Jaume Munar or Alexei Popyrin on Saturday.

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