Paris: Daniil Medvedev became the latest high seed to fall at the Paris Masters when he lost to Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov on Wednesday.
After second seed Carlos Alcaraz tumbled against qualifier Roman Safiullin late the previous evening, Medvedev, seeded third, open Wednesday’s play at Bercy by losing a marathon to 17th-ranked Dimitrov, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/2).
In a match that lasted two hours and 54 minutes, Medvedev was always chasing.
Dimitrov broke in the sixth game of the match on his way to the first set.
In the second round in Vienna last week, Dimitrov took the first set by the same score but Medvedev won the next two sets comfortably before going on to lose the final.
Force a tiebreak
This time, Medvedev broke in the sixth game of the second set. But Dimitrov fought back, he broke in the ninth game to force a tiebreak which Medvedev edged on his first set point.
In the final set, Dimitrov took the initiative when he broke, again in the sixth game. Medvedev saved four match points before breaking serve in the ninth game. The Russian saved two more match points before holding in his final service game to force a tiebreak.
But the Bulgarian raced to a 5-0 lead and, after Medvedev took two points on serve, finished the match.
Dimitrov said he regretted letting a 40-15 lead slip on Medvedev’s serve in tenth game.
“I just didn’t go enough for my shots,” said Dimitrov. “Against a player like him, he’s going to take it, simple as that.”
“I thought I played an excellent game with very good shot selection. It slipped there, but a good outcome in the end.”
World No 1 Novak Djokovic still has to make his first appearance in the afternoon, against 31st ranked Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry (31st).
