Double Aussie success as Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur dump out Casper Ruud and Daniil Medvedev at Monte-Carlo Masters
ATP
It was double Aussie success on Thursday afternoon at the Monte-Carlo Masters with Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur dumping out two big names in Casper Ruud and Daniil Medvedev.
Popyrin has had a horror start to the season after a great 2024 but he picked up his biggest win of the season in defeating Casper Ruud saving two match points before reaching the Quarter-Finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
He knocked out Andrey Rublev last year who went on to lose today also to Arthur Fils. He accounted for Ruud this time 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in a near three hour battle. He was twice a point away from defeat when 5-3 down in the deciding set, he went on the attack.
He reeled off the final four games for one of the best wins on this surface of his career against a perennial clay court specialist who had just also come off a weekend winning UTS in Nimes. He gets a good match next too in Alejandro Davidovich Fokina who dumped out Jack Draper earlier.
"It was a tough start of the year but this week is a new week, and the year is really, really long, and I just have to put in the work and forget about the last couple of months -- and that's what I've done this week," said Popyrin post match.
Match Statistics Popyrin vs. Ruud
| Popyrin | VS | Ruud |
|---|---|---|
| Service | ||
| 4 | Aces | 2 |
| 5 | Double Faults | 2 |
| 62% (73/117) | 1st Service Percentage | 69% (85/123) |
| 74% (54/73) | 1st Service Points Won | 68% (58/85) |
| 43% (19/44) | 2nd Service Points Won | 47% (18/38) |
| 86% (12/14) | Break Points Saved | 80% (12/15) |
| 87% (13/15) | Service Games | 81% (13/16) |
| Return | ||
| 32% (27/85) | 1st Return Points Won | 26% (19/73) |
| 53% (20/38) | 2nd Return Points Won | 57% (25/44) |
| - | Break Points Saved | - |
| Other | ||
| 2h 58m | Match Duration | 2h 58m |
De Minaur downs Medvedev
While Alex de Minaur confounded recent misery for Daniil Medvedev in a 6-2, 6-2 win on Thursday and will face the winner of Alejandro Tabilo or Grigor Dimitrov next round.
De Minaur defeated Tomas Machac 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 ahead of this win. No mean feat given the form in recent months of the Czech ace.
But in reality Medvedev was a much more easier assignment. He had seen off Karen Khachanov and Alexandre Muller to get to this point on a surface that he makes no bones about not liking.
But he seems to have success at times on it despite this hatred. De Minaur though who grew up on the clay courts of Barcelona could yet be a dark horse on the dirt this season.
Match Statistics Medvedev vs. de Minaur
| Medvedev | VS | de Minaur |
|---|---|---|
| Service | ||
| 3 | Aces | 3 |
| 3 | Double Faults | 3 |
| 56% (29/52) | 1st Service Percentage | 52% (24/46) |
| 45% (13/29) | 1st Service Points Won | 58% (14/24) |
| 26% (6/23) | 2nd Service Points Won | 55% (12/22) |
| 42% (5/12) | Break Points Saved | 25% (1/4) |
| 13% (1/8) | Service Games | 63% (5/8) |
| Return | ||
| 42% (10/24) | 1st Return Points Won | 55% (16/29) |
| 45% (10/22) | 2nd Return Points Won | 74% (17/23) |
| - | Break Points Saved | - |
| Other | ||
| 1h 13m | Match Duration | 1h 13m |
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