TENNIS – Third seed Medvedev eased to a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Stanislas Wawrinka to book his spot in the Dubai Championships quarter-finals, as the Swiss star said goodbye to the tournament.
Medvedev was far too good from the back of the court for his 40-year-old opponent, suffocating him with his relentless depth and retrieval skills. The heat also began to take a toll on Wawrinka, making 35 unforced errors.
2023 champion Medvedev will be hoping to end his Middle Eastern swing on a high, following his last-16 defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Doha last week.
He will face Jenson Brooksby in the quarter-finals, after he claimed a brilliant 7-6(6), 6-4 win over seventh seed Karen Khachanov. The American is making his debut in Dubai.
There was another shock result as second seed Alexander Bublik was dumped out by Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, losing 6-3, 7-6(4) in an hour and 23 minutes.
There were no such issues for Andrey Rublev and Jakub Mensik, who both secured spots in the last eight.
Meanwhile, top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime eased past the big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to book his spot in the quarter-finals.
Auger-Aliassime produced a clinical returning display against Mpetshi Perricard, overcoming a sluggish start to claim a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Czech Jiri Lehecka awaits Auger-Aliassime in the quarters, following his hard-fought 7-6(6), 6-4 win over Pablo Carreno-Busta.
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