Daniil Medvedev overcomes Maxime Cressy in awkward encounter to reach Australian Open quarter-finals

ByJames Kilpatrick

Updated 24/01/2022 at 08:00 GMT

Daniil Medvedev was eventually able to overcome Maxime Cressy in three hours and 27 minutes in a match where the Russian was visibly irritated throughout as he tried to figure out how to get past the serve and volley specialist in their first ever meeting on the tour. Stream the 2022 Australian Open live and on demand on discovery+.

Daniil Medvedev reached his sixth Grand Slam quarter-final after beating Maxime Cressy 6-2 7-6(4) 6-7(4) 7-5 on Margaret Court Arena.

Medvedev was put to the test against his American opponent who has a throwback serve and volley style, but eventually found a way to break down the world No 70 in four sets.

Medvedev, who reached the Australian Open final last year, will play Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last eight. The 25-year-old says he tried to get into Cressy's head during the match.

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He told Eurosport: "The first set I was like 'maybe I have control maybe not'. I tried to break him one more time.

"The second set I didn't break him but managed to get the tie break and I was like 'OK I need to continue this way' and then when I lost the third and had eight break points in the fourth and I didn't make them I was like 'do something'.

"Some of them I could have won but he also played well and the last one I managed to do it well. I didn't want to celebrate and thought 'finish your serve and go to the locker room'.

"It was a great match. During the match I got a little bit crazy with myself. I tried to talk something in the air to get into his mind a little bit and then maybe he will say 'what the hell is Medvedev saying' and maybe miss some shots.

"I'm not happy with what I said today but I'm glad I managed to keep fighting with it."

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The Russian quickly decided to alter his starting position when he returned Cressy’s serve and it paid off as he went a break up to lead 2-1 in the opening set.

Cressy was dominant on his first serve but Medvedev was able to break Cressy again at 5-2 up before sealing the set on his third attempt.

Neither player registered even a break point in the second set until Cressy surprisingly managed to get himself a set point at 6-5, but Medvedev brilliantly hunted down a winner at the net to force the tie-break.

The No. 2 seed raced into a 3-1 lead before earning himself four set points after producing a phenomenal passing shot.

On his third set point, Medvedev converted to take a commanding lead. Both players struggled with issues to their right glute in the third set and both needed medical timeouts.

This time neither player did register a single break point in a set filled with serving, volleying and passing shots and another tie-break ensued.

Medvedev got hold of one return of serve from deep to go a mini-break up at 4-3, but Cressy charged in to the net to level before doing so again to go a mini-break up and won it 7-4 as the Russian fired into the net.

Medvedev squandered eight break points on Cressy’s second, third and sixth service games in the third set, but it was ninth time lucky as he fired a forehand past the American giant before quickly serving out the match.

'Highlight reel moment' - Medvedev makes ridiculous passing shot

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