Published: 12:22, April 30, 2023 | Updated: 12:32, April 30, 2023
Medvedev follows Alcaraz into third round of Madrid Open
By Xinhua

Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, returns the ball to Andrea Vavassori of Italy during their match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, April 29, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

MADRID - After top seed Carlos Alcaraz powered back from a set down to beat Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori to qualify for the last 32 on Friday afternoon, second seed Daniil Medvedev was able to ease his way into the Madrid Open with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Italy's Andrea Vavassori in one hour and 22 minutes on Saturday morning.

14th seed Tommy Paul also made it into the third round after defeating Roman Safiullin 6-3, 7-6(3), while two of the lower-seeded players failed to make it through.

31st seed Jiri Lehecka was beaten convincingly 6-1, 6-1 in just 45 minutes by Alexander Shevchenko, while 32nd seed Ben Shelton lost a three-set marathon 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 against Jan-Lennard Struff.

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In the women's tournament on Saturday morning, second seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus needed almost two hours before she got past Colombia's Camila Osoria.

14th seed Ludmilla Samsonova defeated Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-0 in a surprisingly comfortable win in an hour and two minutes, while 24th seed Elise Mertens progressed with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Germany's Jule Niemeier.

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Finally, 31st seed Irina-Camelia Begu beat Shelby Rogers of the USA 7-5, 6-2.