Former champion Daniil Medvedev pulled a stellar three-set comeback win over Spanish qualifier Pablo Llamas Ruiz to secure his spot at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia fourth round on Monday at Foro Italico.
Following a brilliant tennis display, seventh seed Daniil Medvedev completed a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 comeback win to outplay world No. 139 Pablo Llamas Ruiz, advancing to the round of 16 at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia for the third consecutive season.
As a result, he accomplished his 100th Masters 1000 victory, becoming the third man to conquer the feat in this decade.
Next, he will meet Argentine Thiago Tirante, who stunned 10th seed Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-4 in just 78 minutes in his first appearance on Campo Centrale.
A confidence-boosting result that will serve the world No. 69 well when he faces off against such an experienced adversary for a place in the quarterfinals.
The Match as It Happened
Playing his first match of the week following a first-round bye and a walkover by Czech Tomas Machac due to illness, the 2023 Rome champion graced the BNP Paribas Arena with his skill set on full display.
Llamas Ruiz, who clinched his first Top 30 win over 28th seed Corentin Moutet to power into his first Masters 1000 third round match, got off to a spirited start, breaking in the first game of the opening set.
From there, he built upon momentum, taking a 3-1 advantage, dropping three points on serve in the process.
The 23-year-old made his opponent dig deep to hold his ground, fending off two break points in a lengthy fifth game. Medvedev sealed it with an ace to narrow the gap 2-3.
Then, the set went with serves as the world No. 9 began to find his groove, but Llamas Ruiz would not be denied a double break to sentence the set in his favor 6-3 in 41 minutes.
As play resumed, the second set was marked by the extended baseline exchanges from the outset, with the Spanish player saving a break point to take the early lead.
The former US Open winner raised his level, taking risks and charging the net with accuracy. As the action wore on, he found breathing room to convert a break when his rival committed a costly unforced error, holding to surge 4-2.
A balanced tie unfolded as the Jerez de la Frontera-born held his nerve behind his serve.
Towards the finish line, Medvedev stayed the course, playing aggressively, closing out 6-4 to force a decider.
Picking up where he left off, the former world No. 1 broke serve in the first, fifth, and seventh games of the third set, wrapping up proceedings 6-2 in style after a two-hour, eight-minute demanding encounter.
All in all, he hit 36 winners (6 aces) against 40 unforced errors, winning 68 percent of the points on his first serve.
On a surface that is not his favorite, the 23-time ATP title holder has now progressed to the fourth round at 11th of the last 12 Masters 1000 tournaments.