DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The highly-ranked Daniil Medvedev, the top seed at the Dubai Championships, swiftly tackled the challenge of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s lightning-fast serves on Wednesday.
Medvedev, currently sitting at No. 6 in the world rankings, advanced to the quarterfinals with a solid 6-4, 6-4 win over the young French talent, just 21 years old.
When questioned about facing serves soaring past 230 kph (143 mph), Medvedev offered insight into his technique.
“You don’t have a moment to ponder; it’s all about instinct and reflexes. Sometimes, that makes it easier because, honestly, you don’t have time to overthink,” Medvedev explained during his on-court interview. “If I fail to return, I don’t feel let down. There were a few second serves I missed that left me a bit frustrated, but overall, I did quite well today.”
The reigning Dubai champion showcased his skill by breaking Mpetshi Perricard’s serve once per set. The French player struggled with a staggering 44 unforced errors, which was double the number of his winners, and failed to earn any break point opportunities.
Looking ahead, Medvedev is set to face Tallon Griekspoor, who secured his spot by defeating defending champion Ugo Humbert with scores of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Also moving into the quarterfinals is Marin Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion, who stunned second seed Alex de Minaur in the first round. Cilic triumphed over Alexei Popyrin with a scoreline of 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 and will battle Felix Auger-Aliassime for a slot in the semifinals.
