Medvedev negotiates Korda scare in Madrid, Ruud advances

Daniil Medvedev overcame a stern test from Sebastian Korda on Monday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he came within two points of defeat before eventually advancing 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3.

In a tight battle, the 28-year-old hit to Korda’s forehand more as the match wore on, with the American’s backhand consistently solid for large periods. Medvedev, who committed 24 unforced errors in the match, refused to miss in key moments, crucially holding serve from 4-5, deuce in the second set.

After converting on his second set point in the second set, Medvedev gained the decisive break of the decider in the eighth game, eventually advancing after two hours and 23 minutes.

"It was tough for many different reasons," Medvedev said. "He played well. The courts here except the central court are a bit smaller than I would like, so I play like someone is pushing me in the back. Even though my serve when I don't need that much space, the feeling is still there like I am being pushed in the back. I need to get used to this feeling and try to find when to step in.

"I need to find my rhythm but both matches I played better and better. For sure the next one, if you play tougher and tougher opponents, I want to start like I played the third set. But if you win matches you are happy."

The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings leads Korda 3-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with Monday’s meeting their first on clay. Medvedev, who is 24-2 against Americans since the start of 2021, is chasing his first quarter-final appearance in the Spanish capital.

The fourth seed, who won his first ATP Masters 1000 title on clay in Rome last year, will next play 17th seed Alexander Bublik.

Earlier, Bublik clawed past American Ben Shelton 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 to earn consecutive wins on clay for the first time this season.

The 26-year-old won 80 per cent (47/59) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to clinch his first Top 20 win on clay since 2021 when he beat then-World No. 14 Denis Shapovalov en route to the quarter-finals in Madrid.

The Montpellier champion Bublik, who leads Shelton 2-0 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series, will aim to reach that stage again in the Spanish capital when he takes on Korda on Tuesday.

Shelton arrived in Madrid off the back of a title run on clay in Houston earlier this month. The 20-year-old is 16-8 on the season and No. 14 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Casper Ruud also advanced, moving past British lefty Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-4 to improve to 4-1 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Ruud has won 11 of his past 12 matches, having lifted his first ATP 500 trophy in Barcelona earlier this month. The Norwegian looked sharp throughout his 80-minute clash against Norrie, rallying from a break down in the second set to record his 31st win of the season. No one has earned more tour-level victories in 2024 than Ruud.

The 25-year-old will continue the quest for his first ATP Masters 1000 crown when he takes on Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round. The Canadian advanced when #NextGenATP Czech Jakub Mensik was forced to retire with Auger-Aliassime leading 6-1, 1-0.