DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Daniil Medvedev, the top seed, barely had a moment to strategize against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s powerful serves during their match at the Dubai Championships on Wednesday.
Despite the challenges, Medvedev, who holds the world number 6 ranking, secured a spot in the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over the 21-year-old player from France.
Medvedev spoke about the experience of facing serves that overpowered at speeds of over 230 kph (143 mph), describing the reaction as purely instinctual. “You don’t have any time, so it’s all about reflexes. Sometimes that actually simplifies things because you have no time to overthink,” he expressed. “If you miss the return, there’s less frustration. However, missing some second serves was disappointing. You just aim to do your best, and thankfully, it worked out well today.”
The 2023 Dubai champion, Medvedev, managed to break Mpetshi Perricard’s serve once per set. The latter struggled with consistency, tallying 44 unforced errors, double the number of his winners, while failing to generate any break point chances.
Medvedev’s next challenge will be against Tallon Griekspoor, who moved forward after defeating the defending titleholder, Ugo Humbert, with scores of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Meanwhile, Marin Cilic, champion of the 2014 U.S. Open, who ousted second seed Alex de Minaur in the tournament’s first round, also progressed to the quarterfinals. Cilic overcame Alexei Popyrin 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 and is set to compete against Felix Auger-Aliassime for a place in the semifinals.
