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Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev claimed world No .85 James Duckworth was playing well during their Toronto Masters round-of-16 clash. Medvedev dropped a total of six games against Duckworth but afterward insisted it wasn't easy.
Medvedev, seeded at No. 1, handed a 6-2 6-4 loss to Duckworth to progress into the Toronto quarterfinal. Duckworth led 2-1 after the opening three games, before Medvedev claimed back-to-back breaks and won five games in a row to take the opener.
Medvedev extended his run to seven consecutive games as he also won the opening two games of the second set. Duckworth saved three break points in the third game to end Medvedev's run and cut the deficit to 2-1. Medvedev claimed his second break in the fifth game but failed to serve out for the match in the eighth game.
However, Medvedev kept his focus and served out for the match in the 10th game. "He was playing good, especially in the beginning. I managed to get a few tight games, managed to get ahead. I think he lost his rhythm a little bit so that was well my fault also,” Medvedev said, per the ATP website.
“I managed to be ahead throughout the rest of the match and then – it’s very normal, it’s the same for everybody when your back’s against the wall – I served for the match, he played much better than before.
“He managed to be the closer and well played from him because it’s putting pressure on your opponent. I managed to keep this pressure out there and really happy with the win”.
Medvedev didn't know what to expect from Duckworth
"When you face someone for the first time it’s a bit tougher and we’d never practised together so I didn’t know what to expect,” Medvedev said.
“Sometimes you just need to find things during the match. Even when you play someone for the 10th time every day is different so it’s always about finding the right spot during the match”.