Daniil Medvedev was standing so far back to receive serve, he was almost stepping on the lines person's toes. But each time the world No.2 stepped in and leaned into his return, he clocked time, meeting the ball exactly where he wanted to. The Russian went through the court with his flatter-than-a-glass-door ground game, breaking the 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz almost at will in the 94-minute Wimbledon second-round outing.
Medvedev's 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 win over the Spaniard put him in the third round of The Championships for the third time in four visits. The 25-yearold, coming off a grasscourt win in Mallorca, which he added to his schedule at the last minute after falling in the first round in Halle, is looking sharper with every match.
"The faster you go in Grand Slams the better," said Medvedev, who closed the match with a finely angled high backhand volley. "Carlos is a good player, he has already done so much, winning matches in Grand Slam. My first win came after three Grand Slams, here at Wimbledon (2017). For me, I'm happy with my performance. I love the grass."
The Russian was on top of his service games, he won 38 of 40 points on first serve. In the opening set, Medvedev took a 3-0 lead, but Alcaraz, who was cheered on by the crowd, inched his way back into the contest. Medvedev cut short the charge with a break that sealed the opening exchange for him, he then promptly turned to the crowd, hand on his ear.
Alcaraz's best bet on the day was perhaps serving and volleying given how far back the second seed had stationed himself. The teenager won five of nine points when coming in behind his serve. The Spaniard, ranked 75, mixed it up with drop shots, but Medvedev was quick in covering ground and paying back in kind. He won 11-14 points at the net.
Federer beats Gasquet
Roger Federer beat Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-1), 6-1, 6-4 to set up a third round clash with Cameron Norrie. Federer wasn't at his best to start with but after clinching the tie break, went up a gear and is now looking more and more impressive. Gasquet has now lost 25 sets in a row to Federer.
Meanwhile, third-seeded Elina Svitolina turned in a tame performance, falling 3-6, 4-6 to Poland's 44th-ranked Magda Linette. Top-seeded Ashleigh Barty beat Russian Anna Blinkova 6-4, 6-3 in the second round.
