Adelaide International 1: Medvedev advances to quarters, Sabalenka overcomes Samsonova

Adelaide, Jan. 4 (IANS): World No 7 Daniil Medvedev breezed past Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 6-0, 6-3 to reach the Adelaide International 1 quarterfinal, here on Wednesday.

The third seed saved the only break point he faced to triumph after 67 minutes. Medvedev now leads the pair’s ATP Head-to-Head record 3-0, winning all seven sets they have played.

The 27-year-old will next play Karen Khachanov for a place in the semifinals.

In his opening match of 2023 on Tuesday, Medvedev toiled for more than one hour to snatch the opening-set tiebreak before his Italian opponent Lorenzo Sonego retired hurt after three games.

“I played a little bit better today than yesterday but also Lorenzo played really good tennis hitting lines,” Adelaide International quoted Medvedev as saying.

“Sometimes high-level tennis is about hitting shots and a few points. Miomir didn’t manage to do the same but I’m happy with myself. I think I played better, served probably a little bit better,” he added.

In the women’s singles, Aryna Sabalenka edged Liudmila Samsonova 7-6(8), 7-6(3), in her first official singles match of the 2023 season to seal the Adelaide International 1 quarterfinal berth.

She will take on the 2019 Roland Garros finalist Marketa Vondrousova, who dropped just four games in a dominant 6-0, 6-4 win over the former Top-20 player Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the second-round match.

“I mean when it’s 1-5 down it’s like nothing to lose and you just go for your shots without thinking. I think that’s really helped me to stay in the set and keep fighting, keep trying. It’s definitely tough to start after the bye and especially against a player like Liudmila,” Sabalenka said after the win.

“She’s an incredible player with a huge serve so it was a tough match and I’m super happy with this win,” she added.