Medjedovic upsets Nakashima in Belgrade as Djokovic watches on

Hamad Medjedovic found a fitting way to register his first tour-level hard-court win of 2024 on Sunday at the Belgrade Open.

With countryman Novak Djokovic watching from the stands, the Serbian wild card edged past sixth seed Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the second round. Medjedovic had his work cut out against the No. 35 in the PIF ATP Rankings, but he stood firm to record a two-hour triumph.

“It was a tough match, he was a better player in the first, and in the second I was trying to keep my nerves and find my game,” said Medjedovic, who improved to 8-6 over Top 50 opponents. “Slowly, step by step, I found my game and I was back on track.”

In a battle of the two previous Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champions, Medjedovic shook off a sluggish start to dial in on serve in the second, during which he won 86 per cent (19/22) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Nakashima carved out two break opportunities in the third game of the decider, but Medjedovic held his nerve to seal victory. The World No. 158 will next face qualifier Branko Djuric or Aleksander Kovacevic in the second round.

On a day of comebacks in Belgrade, Fabian Marozsan rallied to defeat #NextGenATP star Shang Juncheng 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-5.

Marozsan was defiant in the face of a fast start from Shang, who raced to win the first set in just 23 minutes. The Hungarian bided his time before pouncing at 5/5 in the second-set tie-break.

Shang, who is fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, was unable to weather the momentum shift in the deciding set as Marozsan claimed his first indoor win of the season (1-4). The 25-year-old will face either Dusan Lajovic or ninth seed Mariano Navone in the second round.