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World no. 7 Daniil Medvedev is safely through into the Australian Open second round. The finalist from the previous two seasons toppled Marcos Giron 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 in an hour and 36 minutes for his most dominant Australian Open triumph and a place in the next round.
Medvedev fired 29 winners and 23 unforced errors and kept everything under control on serve and return. The Russian dropped 16 points behind the initial shot and defended all six break chances. He turned 55% of the return points into seven breaks from 13 opportunities.
Daniil had a massive advantage in the shortest, mid-range and most extended exchanges, taming his strokes nicely and sailing past the lower-ranked rival. Medvedev cracked a backhand down the line winner in the encounter's first game for a hold at love.
Daniil pushed strong on the return and grabbed an extended rally on the sixth break chance for an instant advantage.
Daniil Medvedev defeated Marcos Giron at Rod Laver Arena.
The Russian defended a break point in game three with a service winner and broke at 15 in the next one to extend the lead.
Giron created two break chances in the fifth game, and Medvedev erased them with forced errors. World no. 7 secured the game with a backhand crosscourt winner, leaving the opponent to serve at 0-5. Daniil grabbed his third straight break to claim the opener 6-0 in 37 minutes.
With a boost on his side, the Russian barely lost a point behind the initial shot in the second set and kept the pressure on the other side. Marcos clinched his first game at 0-1 before Daniil forced the opponent's mistake in the fourth game to open a 3-1 gap.
The American failed to impose his strokes and experienced another break in the sixth game after the Russian's backhand crosscourt winner. Medvedev served for the set at 5-1 and held at 15 after Giron's mistake to forge a 6-0, 6-1 advantage in swift 63 minutes.
The American found some rhythm in his games at the start of the third set and produced two comfortable holds for 2-2. He already did more than in the opening two sets, but it was all we saw from him in this one. Marcos netted a volley at the net in the fifth game and sent Daniil 3-2 in front.
Medvedev saved a break point in game six with an ace and held with a powerful serve for 4-2. Former world no. 1 fired a backhand crosscourt winner in the seventh game for another break and a 5-2 advantage, serving for the victory in the next one.
Daniil offered Marcos two break points and saved them with strong hitting. The Russian converted the second match point with a forehand down the line winner that carried him into the second round.