By Martyn Herman
LONDON (Reuters) – A few days after claiming his first grasscourt title in blazing Mallorcan sunshine, second seed Daniil Medvedev could easily have been caught cold in his Wimbledon first-round match on Tuesday.
But on a chilly and damp evening at the All England Club he showed he is not just a fair weather player on the lawns to overcome German powerhouse Jan-Lennard Struff.
Medvedev’s title run on the Mediterranean holiday island marked the Russian out as a serious Wimbledon challenger.
Struff was hardly the easiest of draws, having beaten Medvedev on grass in Halle this month, but the world number two avenged that loss with a 6-4 6-1 4-6 7-6 victory.
He was spared the worst of the day’s rainy weather by the Court One roof and when he cruised through the opening two sets it looked as though he was in for a short shift.
But the 31-year-old Struff is made of sterner stuff and hit back to take the third set.
There was little between the players in the fourth set but Medvedev avoided being dragged into a decider with a rock-solid tiebreak to move into the second round.
“I was surprised I won the first two sets so easy but then he started showing some unbelievable tennis,” Medvedev said on court. “Until the last point it was not over. It was a rollercoaster of a match.”
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond)
