Daniil Medvedev arrived at the Cincinnati Open on the heels of a disappointing loss in his opening match at the Canadian Open. Although the Russian would have been aiming to make a deeper run at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, he suffered a third-round loss from the brink of victory, leading to several displays of frustration.
Daniil Medvedev Struggles To Contain His Frustration During Cincinnati Open Loss
No. 4 seed Medvedev began his quest for a second Cincinnati Open title with a convincing 6-4, 7-5 triumph over Marco Trungelliti in the second round, having received a first-round bye.
The Russian faced a tougher test against the in-form Brandon Nakashima, who rushed to a 5-2 lead in the opening set of their third-round encounter. However, Medvedev displayed his resilience by saving four set points before triumphing in the first-set tiebreak.
The former world No. 1 appeared to have seized control of the match and had the opportunity to close it out at 5-4, 40-0 in the second set. However, Nakashima produced a stellar service game to save all three match points and went on to win the set, forcing a decider.
Having squandered his chance to seal the win, Medvedev let his frustration boil over. After failing to get his racket on one of Nakashima’s serves, he launched his racket toward the backcourt screen.
The former world No. 1 was also seen kicking the screen in anger at another stage of the match, disrupting the LED display.
Despite his impressive comeback earlier in the match, Medvedev was left with no answers as the American dominated the third set to claim a 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-1 victory after a two-hour, 51-minute battle. The Russian continued to display his frustration, tipping over the microphones at the back of the court during the final game.
Up next, Brandon Nakashima is set to take on Nuno Borges in the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open, following the Portuguese star’s 6-3, 6-4 win over Andrey Rublev. If Nakashima wins and advances to the quarterfinals, he will face either Taylor Fritz or Christopher O’Connell at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev will shift his focus to his preparations for the US Open. Prior to his singles campaign, the 30-year-old is set to team up with Diana Shnaider for the mixed doubles event at the New York Major, with a $1 million prize on the line.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.