“It almost makes life easier”: Daniil Medvedev neutralizes Mpetshi Perricard’s serve to reach Dubai quarter-finals:

Daniil Medvedev overcame a tough challenge against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, successfully neutralizing what is arguably the best serve in the game today. The Frenchman managed only three aces, while Medvedev fired six of his own. The former world No. 1 converted two of his ten break point opportunities and did not allow his opponent a single chance on his serve.

Medvedev has been far from his best this season, suffering losses to lower-ranked players like Learner Tien and Hamad Medjedovic. In his previous tournament at the Qatar Open, he retired against Félix Auger-Aliassime after losing the first set 3-6.

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However, in Dubai, Medvedev appears determined to turn his season around. He opened with a convincing win over Jan-Lennard Struff and has now dispatched Mpetshi Perricard, who won just 67% of points on his first serve and 63% on his second—well below his usual numbers, which exceed 80%, along with an average of 19 aces per match this season.

It was a routine victory for Medvedev, who has so far handled Mpetshi Perricard’s serve better than anyone this year. “In a way, it almost makes life easier to play someone serving at 235 km/h because you don’t have time to think. If you don’t get the ball back in play, it’s normal, so you’re not disappointed,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview.

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“I was actually more disappointed when I missed a return on a second serve. But I also thought that if we had gone to a tiebreak, I had won more points on his serve than he had on mine, so maybe I would’ve had an advantage,” he added.

The former US Open champion will next face Tallon Griekspoor as he aims for the semi-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. As the tournament’s top seed, Medvedev has a chance to return to the top 5 next week, but he must at least reach the final and hope Casper Ruud falls short in Mexico. If Medvedev wins the title, Ruud would need to claim the Acapulco trophy to stay at No. 5.

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