Top-seeded Daniil Medvedev on Sunday hobbled into the fourth round of the Miami Open, defying crippling leg cramps to beat Australian Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (7/9), 6-4.
World No. 2 Medvedev, increasingly hampered as the third set wore on, nevertheless mustered the only service break of the third set on the way to a dramatic victory over 86th-ranked Popyrin in the hard-court tournament.
“It’s probably one of the sweetest victories in my career, because I was cramping like hell,” Medvedev said. “There were moments where I just wanted to lie down and say: ‘OK, it’s over,’ but I couldn’t accept that.”
Photo: AFP
Medvedev had appeared to be cruising to the finish line when he seized a 5-2 lead in the second set.
Popyrin held serve for 5-3, but since Medvedev had not faced a break point in the match, another hold seemed a mere formality.
Instead, Medvedev was broken to love in a game that featured a double fault and three superb forehand winners from Popyrin.
Popyrin fell to 0-40 in the next game, but an ace from Medvedev erased three match points.
Medvedev saved two set points in the tiebreak before Popyrin leveled the match with a forehand winner on his third set point.
Medvedev next faces unseeded American Frances Tiafoe, who beat 16th-seeded Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
WOMEN’S SINGLES
Second-seeded Naomi Osaka of Japan reached the fourth round for the first time, without lifting a racquet, when scheduled opponent Nina Stojanovic withdrew with a right-thigh injury.
The US and Australian Open champion — who could overtake world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the rankings with a title victory if the Australian fails to reach the final — next faces 16th-seeded Belgian Elise Mertens, who defeated Anett Kontaveit of Estonia 6-2, 0-6, 6-2.
Spain’s Garbine Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam winner who ended a two-year title drought in Dubai this month, dropped the first set on the way to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Anna Kalinskaya.
Muguruza next faces eighth-seeded Bianca Andreescu of Canada, a 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (2/7), 6-4 winner over Amanda Anisimova of the US.
Fourth-seeded Sofia Kenin of the US was eliminated by 27th seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
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