Daniil Medvedev faces Brandon Nakashima in the 3rd round of the Cincinnati Open. The Russian player had an unfavorable start when he was led 2-5 in the first set. After Nakashima's direct serve, the ball bounced strongly from the LED board area behind the court and headed towards Medvedev.
Unable to keep calm, Medvedev immediately threw the racket at the LED board. After that, the former world No. 1 returned to his seat in anger.
However, Medvedev still managed to stabilize his psychology to win the first set 7-6 after a tie-break. However, tense developments continued to appear in set 2.
When leading 5-4 and having 3 consecutive match-points, Medvedev had a chance to close the match. However, Nakashima successfully saved all 3 decisive points and dragged the set into a tie-break.
Unable to take advantage of the opportunity, Medvedev lost his composure once again. The Russian player kicked the LED board and knocked down the microphone in the area outside the court.
After that, Medvedev let Nakashima win set 2 in a tie-break. In the decisive set, the Russian player declined significantly and only won 1 game, thereby losing back with a score of 7-6, 6-7, 1-6.
The victory helped Nakashima create a remarkable comeback against the world No. 7 player. After the match, the American player said he only focused on each point when facing 3 match-points.
When facing match-point points, I just told myself to continue fighting for each ball. I am really satisfied with my performance in the decisive set," Nakashima shared.
The actions at the Cincinnati Open continue to extend the list of times Medvedev reacted hotly on the court. The Russian tennis player has repeatedly attracted attention with his racket smashing actions, arguing with referees and reacting strongly to equipment outside the court.
Medvedev once smashed the camera on the net at the Australian Open, had incidents related to photographers at the US Open, argued with referees in Beijing and had a racket smashing that lasted about 40 seconds in Monte Carlo.
The defeat against Nakashima also closed Medvedev's journey at the Cincinnati Open early, while the American player continued to advance deep in the tournament preparing for the US Open.
