Adjusting to surprisingly slow Miami conditions, Daniil Medvedev solved Rei Sakamoto

From nearly missing the BNP Paribas Open after getting stranded in Dubai to losing his luggage en route to Miami, Daniil Medvedev has had it rough throughout the Sunshine Swing. But the tennis has told a different story as the former world No. 1 navigated three tricky sets against Rei Sakamoto to advance, 6-7 (10), 6-3, 6-1.

Medvedev was coming off a runner-up finish in Indian Wells, whose typically slow conditions often frustrate the 2021 US Open champion. But this year proved a reverse for the No. 9 seed, who thrived in the California desert and even snapped Carlos Alcaraz’s 16-match winning streak en route to the championship match,

“It’s completely different conditions [here],” Medvedev said on court after the match. “It’s always been. Usually, I feel like it’s kind of quicker in Miami—not too much, but a bit. This year, it’s slower because Indian Wells was fast, so it feels much slower. The serve can still work but in the points it’s much slower. I was losing the rhythm and I was just not ready for the ball to react the way it was reacting.”

The slower conditions opened up an opportunity for Sakamoto, a 19-year-old IMG Academy alum making his way onto the pro circuit. A 22-point tiebreaker went his way and Medvedev looked poised to suffer an early exit, but Medvedev has shown a marked uptick in his consistency since last fall and promptly dug into the match on Stadium Court.

“I’m super happy I managed to build up moment and also the tiredness in him because he’s still a junior in a way,” he said after the match. “It’s not easy for him. He’s going to learn from this. So, I’m happy I managed to put it up and win the match.”

The turning point came early in the second set when Medvedev survived a marathon third game and saved four break points, claiming the momentum from there.

“On these break points, you never know,” Medvedev mused in inimitable fashion. “I could hit a double fault, he could hit a return winner, and it’s 2-1, and you still try to get it back. I managed to play some good points, so I didn’t have to fight from 2-1 down. I was up the whole second set and I managed to play a better game at 4-3. He played a worse game at this moment and then the match kind of changed. This is what tennis is about. It’s a couple of points, momentum.”

Medvedev will aim to carry that momentum into the third round where he’ll face one of two Argentines: No. 18 seed Francisco Cerúndolo or lucky loser Thiago Agustín Tirante.