Daniil Medvedev survives Karen Khachanov challenge in Monte-Carlo

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Daniil Medvedev came through a stern test against Karen Khachanov at the Monte-Carlo Masters, getting his clay season under way with a 7-5 4-6 6-4 victory.

Medvedev lost his place in the top 10 of the ATP Rankings when he was eliminated in the first round of the Miami Open by Jaume Munar, and he did not look particularly comfortable in Monaco on Monday (April 7).

The 2021 US Open champion squandered a 5-1 advantage in the opening set and a 4-1 lead in the second. While Khachanov was unable to punish him in the first set, losing the decisive 12th game on his own serve, he would not be denied in the second as he teed up a decider.

The third set followed a different pattern with neither player looking at all comfortable on their own serve. They traded breaks early on, then the set ended with five more in succession.

It was Medvedev that got the majority of them, combining some strong baseline hitting with clever use of the drop shot as he triumphed in two hours and 51 minutes. His reward is a second-round match against Alexandre Muller, who beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-4 6-4 in his own opener.

Earlier on Monday, Jiri Lehecka advanced to the second round with a 6-3 7-6 (9-7) victory over Sebastian Korda. Since returning from injury last August, Lehecka has won 27 matches at ATP events, with only Alex Michelsen (29) bettering that tally among players ranked outside the top 20.

Stan Wawrinka was dumped out by Alejandro Tabilo, losing 1-6 7-5 7-5, while Gael Monfils overcame Fabian Marozsan 4-6 6-1 6-1.

Data debrief: Double figures for Daniil

Medvedev's win was his 10th on clay against an opponent ranked inside the ATP's top 25. Four of those wins have now come at Monte-Carlo; his most at a single ATP clay event. Liking.