Indian Wells: Daniil Medvedev defeats Fokina 2-0 despite ankle and thumb injury; Advances to Semi-Finals

Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev secured a spot in the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Wednesday after defeating Spanish player Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

However, there were concerns about the health of Medvedev’s right ankle going into the quarter-final match, as he had rolled it in the previous round against Alexander Zverev.

Medvedev qualifies for Semifinals of Indian Wells

Despite the injury, Medvedev started strongly against Davidovich Fokina and went on to win the first set 6-3. The second set proved to be more challenging, with the Spaniard upping his game and earning his first break points.

Medvedev managed to fend off Davidovich Fokina’s attempts, but another fall in the second set resulted in a bloody right thumb and a brief medical timeout.

Medvedev continued to play, and his baseline game proved too strong for Davidovich Fokina, as he secured the win in straight sets. Following the match, Medvedev spoke about his ankle injury, saying, “I’m actually happy the ankle didn’t hurt much because when I warmed up, it was hurting pretty bad.

“I knew I was going to play, I knew I was going to try. But I couldn’t move well on the warm-up. I tried to warm it up as long as possible, took one painkiller so that probably helped. I was actually feeling better and better during the match.”

Medvedev’s win streak and impressive rankings

The victory against Davidovich Fokina marks Medvedev’s 18th straight match win, with the Russian tennis star now 36-5 in sets during his winning run. Medvedev is currently seeking his fourth straight tour-level title, having triumphed in Rotterdam, Doha, and Dubai. This impressive run has also lifted Medvedev from outside the Top 10 last month to No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week.

Medvedev’s next match will be in the semi-finals against American Frances Tiafoe, who has not lost a set in the tournament so far. Medvedev is confident going into the match, saying, “Frances is a very pumped-up, fiery player, so he can beat anyone on a good day.

“I’m sure he can beat Novak, Rafa. He actually did beat Rafa in the US Open, which is huge. For sure I need to try my best to keep this head-to-head at zero. That’s never easy, and I just have to show my best tennis and try to beat such a great opponent.”

Davidovich Fokina’s performance and rankings boost

Davidovich Fokina, who was playing in his third Masters 1000 quarter-final and his first outside of Monte-Carlo, also saw a rankings boost, moving up three places to No. 25 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week.

In the end, despite his ankle and thumb injury, Medvedev’s exceptional form proved too much for Davidovich Fokina. Medvedev will look to continue his impressive run in the Indian Wells tournament and secure his fourth consecutive tour-level title.