Auger-Aliassime eyes first-ever win vs. Medvedev tonight on TSN1
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Felix Auger-Aliassime will have at least an advantage in rest as he takes on two-time Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev in the third round tonight.
Medvedev is coming off a four hour and 23-minute win over Emil Ruusuvuori that kept him on court until 3:39 a.m. local on Friday in Melbourne. Auger-Aliassime's match ended just as Medvedev's got started, with the Canadian taking out Hugo Grenier of France in four sets and just under three hours.
Ranked third in the world, Medvedev dropped the opening two sets to Ruusuvuori and overcame a tiebreak in the fourth en route to a 3-6, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-0 win. The match finished with third-latest end time in the history of the Australian Open.
“Honestly guys, I would not be here," Medvedev told the remaining fans in an on-court interview. "Thanks for staying. If I would be a tennis fan and I would come, at 1 a.m. I would be like ‘OK, let’s go home. We’re going to catch the end of the match on the TV.’”
Auger-Aliassime, who entered the Australian Open ranked 30th in the world, rolled past Grenier 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 after a marathon match of his own in the first round. The 23-year-old was on court for nearly five hours before finally closing out Dominic Thiem 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 5-7, 6-3 for his first win of 2024.
Medvedev spent just over two and a half hours on court in the first round before qualifier Terence Atmane retired with Medvedev up a set and leading 1-0 in the fourth.
History not on Auger-Aliassime's side
Auger-Aliassime enters the third-round matchup looking for his first ever win against Medvedev.
The two have met on six previous occasions, with Medvedev always coming out on top. The Russian eliminated Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Australian Open in a tightly contested match, 6-7(4), 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-5, 6-4.
Medvedev took both matches between the two in 2023 without dropping a set.
"Things will get tougher and tougher as the tournament goes on," Auger-Aliassime said after his second-round win. "But I feel good with my game and I feel like the work that we've done is paying off.
"I think the wheels are in the right direction so I need to stay focused, stay consistent and hopefully keep winning some matches."
The Montreal native, whose best finish in Melbourne came in 2022, is the lone remaining Canadian player in singles play on either side of the draw.