Indian Wells: Medvedev wins 2-1 against Ilya Ivashka; Will Face Zverev in next round

Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev beat Ilya Ivashka in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday night, advancing to the fourth round of the Indian Wells tennis tournament.

The match was marked by Medvedev’s late surge to victory, securing his 16th straight victory and a meeting with Alexander Zverev.

Medvedev had two winning streaks coming into the match: an 18-set winning run and a seven-set streak against World No. 85 Ivashka. However, Ivashka won the second set against the fifth seed, ending both of Medvedev’s streaks.

Medvedev regroups and wins

Despite the setback, the four-time ATP Masters 1000 champion regrouped and scored a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 result, matching his best Indian Wells result from 2021. Medvedev’s performance was marked by strong serving and blistering rallies, showcasing his championship form.

Medvedev will now face Alexander Zverev in the fourth round of the tournament. The matchup will be the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting since Zverev’s victory in the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals. The upcoming match will also break a 6-6 tie in the series.

Medvedev previews match against Zverev

Medvedev previewed the upcoming match, saying, “I think our match could be a lot of rallies. Let’s see. It’s going to be interesting. I feel like he’s playing better and better, which is normal after a tough injury.

“He’s someone who was one of the best players on Tour, going kind of close to World No. 1, started playing better and better in Grand Slams. His injury was unfortunate but I’m sure he’s going to come back. Hopefully, next match I can be the winner and I can play some good tennis.”

At the start of the match, Medvedev broke Ivashka in the opening game of a straightforward first set. He broke again to open the second set, only for Ivashka to break back from 40/15 to spark a run of eight straight points and flip the feeling on the stadium court.

Strong serving kept Medvedev in the set, but Ivashka was on top in the many long rallies as his opponent grew frustrated with what he felt were slow conditions in the desert night.

Late surge for Medvedev

Just when it appeared Medvedev had a battle on his hands, he rediscovered the form that propelled him to titles in each of his past three ATP Tour events (Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai).

He raced to a 5-0 lead in the final set, locking in from the baseline to blunt Ivashka’s power game, and served out the win after Ivashka avoided a bagel with a 0/40 escape, completing the job on his fifth match point.

Medvedev’s performance was not without its flaws, as he finished with eight aces and six double faults. But as champions do, he played his best when it mattered most.