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Daniil Medvedev continued his surprisingly good run at Roland Garros by brushing past Reilly Opelka in straight sets on Friday.
Opelka, who reached the semifinals in Rome recently, was made to look like a one-dimensional player in the third-round match. Medevdev used his intelligent movement and defensive skills to nullify the American's weapons and prevail 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
On that note, here's a look at three key takeaways from Medvedev's straight-sets win:
#1 Daniil Medvedev's backhand and return are weapons on any surface
Daniil Medvedev was on a 20-match hardcourt winning streak a few months ago, having captured the Paris Masters, ATP Finals and ATP Cup before reaching the Australian Open final. The keys to Medvedev's success were his movement, return and backhand, and all three of those traits were on full display even on his hated clay against Opelka.
The 25-year-old often used his backhand to dominate exchanges from the baseline and pile up pressure on Opelka. Medvedev's return, particularly from the backhand wing, was exceptional too.
The Russian nullified Opelka's serve by hitting deep and flat, creating 16 break point opportunities and converting five of them. He also dominated a majority of the rallies over five shots, thus giving the American no room to breathe.
#2 The Russian's serving numbers were exceptional
Daniil Medvedev's consistent serving numbers seem to have become a real advantage in Paris this week.
The 25-year-old conceded only three break points and one break of serve throughout the match against Opelka. He also smashed down 10 aces and maintained a whopping 89% winning rate on his first serve.
Medvedev did not lose a single point when he made his first serve in the third set, the longest of the match. His first-serve rate, which was only at 48% during his first round with Alexander Bublik, also rose to 61% during the third round.
If Medvedev continues to produce serving numbers like those, he'll be a tough opponent for anyone this French Open.
#3 Daniil Medvedev is not as uncomfortable on clay as he claims to be
Daniil Medvedev has claimed numerous times this year that he is not comfortable on clay, highlighting how the slow nature of the surface makes it hard for him to effectively redirect pace. His record in Paris is indicative of that too; the Russian hadn't won a single match at Roland Garros in four attempts prior to 2021.
Medvedev's form coming into the tournament did not inspire much confidence either, as he lost two of his three matches in Madrid and Rome. But during his run at Roland Garros this week, the 25-year-old has surprised more than a few fans - and perhaps even himself.
Medvedev has dropped just one set in three matches, defeating big names like Bublik and Opelka to advance through what is a fairly difficult draw. The weight of expectations seems to have been lifted from the Russian, who only has points to gain in Paris this month.
The Russian will now take on claycourt specialist Cristian Garin in the fourth round on Sunday. While Medvedev would be wary of Garin's recent results on the surface, he could ride his momentum to reach the fourth Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career.
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