HALLE, 21 Jun: Daniil Medvedev continued building momentum after recent setbacks as he moved into the quarterfinals of the Halle Open on Wednesday, beating Laslo Djere 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3 at the grass-court tournament.
Medvedev could have wrapped up the second-round match in straight sets when he took a 4-1 lead in the second-set tiebreaker but lost the next four points as Djere took control.
Medvedev is coming off first-round losses at the French Open and last week at the Libema Open, his first grass event of the season.
The third-ranked Russian is preparing to return to Wimbledon next month for the first time since 2021 after the grass-court Grand Slam barred players from Russia and Belarus last year over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Medvedev next faces Roberto Bautista Agut in Halle after the eighth-seeded Spanish player beat American Brandon Nakashima 7-5, 7-6 (2) in their second-round match.
Chilean player Nicolas Jarry upset the second-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (7), 7-5 to set up a quarterfinal match against Alexander Zverev or Denis Shapovalov, who were playing later.
Also, home favorite Jan-Lennard Struff defeated Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin 6-1, 7-6 (4) in their first-round match. (AP)