March 15, (THEWILL) –Â Gael Monfils defeated world number one, Daniil Medvedev in the BNP Paribas Open quarterfinals at Indian Wells. Monfils came back from a set down to win 4-6 6-3 6-1 over a furious Medvedev.
Medvedev clinched the opening set after winning 10 points in a row against Monfils, breaking to love at 4-4 and then serving it out in the next game.
In the first game of the second set, Monfils averted a breakpoint and won a point with an underarm serve before breaking Medvedev to go up 3-1. Despite a 3-3 tie in the set, the Russian was broken again, and Monfils won three games in a row to force a deciding set.
When Medvedev was broken to begin the third set, the Russian became increasingly upset. He shattered his racket on the floor and was unable to elevate his level to get back into the match after being broken for the third time for 3-0.
All that miffed reaction unsettled him enough to allow the impressive Monfils to finish out a spectacular victory going all the way to 6-1 in the final set.
Medvedev was competing in his first tournament since dethroning Novak Djokovic as the top of tennis ranking, but his early exit means he will relinquish the top spot to the Serbian on March 21.
However, with a run to the semi-finals at the upcoming Miami Open, Medvedev can reclaim the top spot. Djokovic is unable to travel to the United States because he is not vaccinated.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
