Danil Medvedev fought back from two sets down to beat Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6-7 (1-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-1) 6-0 after 4 hours and 23 minutes in a match that ended at 3.40 am local time. inside Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
Ruusuvuori went up a 2-0 lead with an early break in the opening set. The Finnish player saved three break points in the fifth game to hold serve for 4-1. He won his next two service games to clinch the first set 6-3. Medvedev made 16 unforced errors in the first set.
Ruusuvuori earned an early break in the first game of the second set. Medvedev broke back in the sixth game to draw level to 3-3. Both players traded breaks in the eighth and ninth games. Medvedev squandered three break points on Ruusuvuori’s serve in the 10th game. Medvedev received treatment on a blister.
Ruusuvuori raced out to a 5-0 lead in the tie-break. Medvedev pulled one mini-break back, but Ruusuvuori closed out the tie-break 7-1 with his fourth mini-break.
Ruusuvuori made a double fault when he went down a break point in the third game of the third set. Medvedev broke serve to take a 2-1 lead. The Russian player earned a double break in the fifth game to take a 4-1 lead. Ruusuvuori pulled one of the breaks back in the sixth game. Medvedev won his final two service games to close out the third set 6-4.
Medvedev broke in the first game of the fourth set, but he was given a code violation for smashing a racket. Ruusuvuori broke back in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Medvedev was just two points away from defeat when he was trailing at 4-5.
Medvedev earned three mini-break to race through the tie-break 7-1 drawing level to two sets all.
Ruusuvuori called out the physio after three games in the fifth set to receive treatment on his right shoulder. Medvedev earned his second break in the fourth game to race out to a 5-0 lead.
Ruusuvuori was unable to avoid the bagel, as Medvedev broke serve on his first match point, as Ruusuvuori sent a backhand over the baseline.
Medvedev hit 51 winners to 63 unforced errors overall. The 2021 and 2022 Australian Open finalist improved his win-loss record at the “Happy Slam” to 23-7. He set up a third-round match against Felix Auger Aliassime, who beat qualifier Hugo Grenier 6-1 3-6 6-1 6-2.
“It was tough. I think the only two matches when I went two sets to love down and won, it was here, on the court. So that’s a good memory for sure. This one is for sure going to stay in my memory at 3.40 in the morning. It was not easy to start the match and in the first set I was missing two much. I was missing all over the place. Then I changed my raquets and finally found one where I felt like I was playing better. Sometimes it is just something you create in your mind. I stayed with this raquet. I started with it at the beginning of the third set and stayed with it until the end of the match”, said Medvedev.
