(Monte_Carlo) Russian Karen Khachanov reached the quarter-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters for the first time in her career on Thursday, after defeating her compatriot and world No. 4 Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 7-5 .
The match was fiercely contested, with the tennis players engaging in long exchanges at the back of the court. They slammed heavy balls, at a steady pace, for most of the match, but it was ultimately Khachanov who came out on top in the crucial moments.
The 17the world player therefore defeated Medvedev after an hour and 53 minutes of play on Monegasque clay, signing his fourth career victory against a player in the top-5 in the world – and his first this season.
PHOTO DENIS BALIBOUSE, REUTERS
Daniel Medvedev
“I lost a few close matches against him on cement. I have had good career results on clay, even if I never won a title, Khachanov explained in a post-match interview on the court. I participated in the quarter-finals of the French Open twice. I win matches, but never a title.
“This result gives me confidence, especially because the game is different on clay. That’s why I tried a different approach today. I tried to put more spin in my balls, and force him to move back into the field,” he continued.
The 15e top seed of the tournament, who triumphed in Doha earlier this season on cement, will face in the quarter-finals the winner of the duel between the double champion of the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, and the German Alexander Zverev .
On the other hand, the Australian Alex de Minaur, 11e seeded in the tournament, defeated his compatriot Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-4 in the third round. De Minaur will face the winner of the duel between world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the quarter-finals, which will take place later today.
Then, at the end of the day, the Dane Holger Rune will meet the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, while the German Jan-Lennard Struff will cross swords with the second seed and reigning champion of the Australian Open, the Italian Jannik Sinner.