DUBAI/STARNBERG, February 25, 2025
Top seed Daniil Medvedev avoided an early exit at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Russian battled past Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany 6-4, 7-6(4) to secure his place in the second round of the ATP 500 event. 2023 champion Medvedev delivered under pressure, saving all four break points he faced and extending his head-to-heard record against Struff to 8-1.
Moving through @DaniilMedwed defeats Struff 6-4 7-6 to make the round of 16#DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/dNHxASsCUT
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 25, 2025
“I think Jan’s biggest weapon is the serve, and somehow I managed to read,” said Medvedev. “It just happens. Even with me, I’m serving quite well and there are some players who I cannot make an ace against. I’m happy with my level, because he is still a strong opponent, and I’m happy to be in the second round.
“The flu in Doha was not the best ending to the tournament, but I hope to try and get what I have been building since the start of the season here in Dubai or later. It was a good start.”
Medvedev will next take on Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Later in the evening, Matteo Berrettini marked his return to Dubai with a commanding 7-5, 6-4 victory over Gael Monfils of France in 83 minutes. The Italian displayed the form that saw him shine in Doha last week, where he defeated Novak Djokovic en route to the quarterfinals, and he has carried that momentum seamlessly into Dubai.
“It was a great tournament, great matches, great fights,” said Berrettini when asked of his week in Doha. “It gave me a lot of confidence coming here. It’s been a long time since I played here. I’m feeling the energy and hopefully it’s going to be a long week.”
