Medvedev creates 22 break points in three-set win vs. Korda

Peter Staples/ATP Tour

After a combined 16 breaks of serve in their Monday evening match at the BNP Paribas Open, Daniil Medvedev broke through for a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 victory in Indian Wells.

Medvedev created 22 break points — a personal high in a best-of-three match — and converted nine of them to defeat the American home favourite. A back-and-forth final set included five consecutive breaks from 1-1, with Medvedev breaking the pattern to hold for 5-3.

Extending his stay 🏨@DaniilMedwed passes the Sebastian Korda test, taking out the 29th seed 6-4 5-7 6-3 in the third round.@BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/ejyz8ofJHg

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 12, 2024

In a match that served up magic and madness in equal parts, the returning finalist rode the waves and emerged with a victory that levelled the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 2-2. Korda had twice beaten him last season, at the Australian Open and in Shanghai, both in straight sets.

If Medvedev can go one step further and win the Indian Wells title this year, he will complete the box set of trophies across all six hard-court ATP Masters 1000s (Miami 2023, Canada 2021, Cincinnati 2019, Shanghai 2019, Paris 2020). Medvedev can also rise up to No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings if he wins the title and both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz fail to reach the semi-finals.

The 28-year-old overcame a frustrating serving night that included 10 double faults to advance against Korda. Though he came to net half as often as his opponent, he was more efficient in the frontcourt, winning 14 of his 21 net points (67%), according to Infosys ATP Stats. Korda won 25 of his 40 approaches (63%).

Next up for Medvedev is a fourth-round showdown with 13th seed Grigor Dimitrov, who advanced on Monday with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Adrian Mannarino.