Medvedev marches on at Indian Wells

Daniil Medvedev has won all hard-court ATP Masters 1000 events except for one: the BNP Paribas Open. Will this be the year he lifts the trophy at Indian Wells?

The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings made a good start towards that goal Saturday when he moved past Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 28 minutes.

"It was not an easy match. The rallies are slow here so 1:30 for 6-2, 6-3 is pretty long. But I know how to play well in these long rallies," Medvedev said. "I think I had the match under control. He managed to play one very good game at 4-2, but I was like, 'Okay, I just have to continue', and I managed to find a way."

One down in the desert 👍@DaniilMedwed flies into the third round of the @BNPPARIBASOPEN, d. Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2 6-3.#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/owDZypCzdv

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 10, 2024

Medvedev now leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 3-0 and has never lost a set against Carballes Baena. He will try to overcome a 1-2 deficit against Sebastian Korda in the third round.

"He can play really good and I know that Indian Wells is a tough tournament," Medvedev said. "Starting from the first tournament you have to play your best and the past two matches I lost against Seb, so I'm going to try my best to try to beat him this time."

The final match of the evening was straightforward for the first hour, with the former World No. 1 cruising to a set-and-a-break advantage. But what seemed a routine night at the office turned into an interesting one for Medvedev.

Carballes Baena broke back in the second set and a light began flickering atop the stadium, impeding Medvedev’s ability to return. That caused a delay in the action.

It proved a reset for the defending finalist, who immediately broke upon the resumption of play and served out the match.

In other evening action, former World No. 6 Gael Monfils upset eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-2. The big-serving Pole captured the momentum by forcing a decider, but was ailing physically for much of the third set.

"I felt like I had a very strong start," Monfils said. "I served very good. Physically I was very present. I was quite tough to put out of the court and off balance. I felt the first set gave me great momentum. He fought back and then in the end third set it was a really early break which helped me get through."

Monfils will next take on 2021 Indian Wells champion Cameron Norrie, who eliminated Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-4 earlier in the day.