After coming back from a set down against Reilly Opelka in the previous round (3-6, 7-5, 6-1), Daniil Medvedev had a much smoother ride on Thursday against Chinese qualifier Yibing Wu. In complete control, the Russian didn’t give his opponent the slightest opening: he won 93% of points behind his first serve, didn’t face a single break point, and wrapped up the match in just 1 hour and 9 minutes. The former world No. 1, now ranked 14th in the ATP rankings, cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
It marks his third quarter-final appearance in Washington, a tournament where he reached the final in 2019 before falling to Nick Kyrgios. More importantly, it’s already his eighth quarter-final of the season – a welcome return to consistency as the tour shifts into its final stretch on hard courts.
At 29, Medvedev seems to be finding his groove again after several challenging months. If he can keep this momentum going on hard courts, he’ll certainly be one to watch in the big events ahead, particularly Cincinnati and the US Open – a title he won in 2021.
With Holger Rune’s withdrawal and Lorenzo Musetti’s early exit, the draw has opened up for Medvedev, who now stands out as the clear favorite to reach the final. He will face the winner of the match between Corentin Moutet and Daniel Evans in the quarter-finals.
Washington ATP 500, other last 16 results (William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center, hard, USD 2.396.115, most recent results first):
Flavio Cobolli vs. Frances Tiafoe
Taylor Fritz vs. Matteo Arnaldi
Ben Shelton vs. Gabriel Diallo
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Learner Tien
Alex De Minaur vs. Jiri Lehecka
Daniel Evans vs. Corentin Moutet
Brandon Nakashima vs. Cameron Norrie: thursday