Medvedev Fights Back to Beat Struff in First Match Since Beijing Disqualification

Five days after the most embarrassing moment of his season, Daniil Medvedev found his footing again in Shanghai. The former world number one came from a set down to defeat Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday, winning his first match since being disqualified from the China Open.

Medvedev was defaulted from his Beijing semifinal against Novak Djokovic after striking a spectator with a ball — an act he insisted was an accident, but one that cost him all ranking points and prize money from the event. There were nerves early in Shanghai, too: Struff took the opener and the sixth seed looked short of rhythm, admitting afterward that the court felt "different from Beijing" and "a bit tough to get used to."

But the serve that has carried Medvedev through so many difficult weeks came to the rescue. He sent down 21 aces and seized control in the decider, producing a masterful backhand volley in the sixth game to break for a 4-2 lead. "When I broke him I felt like I could win it," he said. From there, there was no way back for the 59th-ranked Struff. Medvedev now meets the winner of the all-qualifier clash between Dalibor Svrcina and Tomas Martin Etcheverry as he looks to put Beijing firmly behind him.