Daniil Medvedev booked his spot in the BNP Paribas Open third round last night by beating Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2 6-3 in one hour and 28 minutes. However, the Russian’s latest triumph in his quest for his only elusive ATP Masters 1000 event didn’t come without controversy, which briefly stopped the match.
Medvedev cruised to a dominant start against Carballes Baena, moving a set and a break ahead to close in on a routine victory.
But his Spanish opponent broke back in the second set before Medvedev’s evening became even more challenging due to a bizarre incident.
A light began flickering above the court at Indian Wells, which the 28-year-old complained was impacting his ability to return, forcing the umpire to delay proceedings.
Both players left the court as officials fixed the problem. Meanwhile, the DJ saw the funny side of the situation and entertained the spectators with The Weeknd’s single, ‘Blinding Lights.’
Medvedev actually profited from the incident, which acted as something of a reset to help him regain control of the momentum.
After returning to the court, the towering talent immediately broke Carballes Baena’s serve and saw out the match.
“It was not an easy match. The rallies are slow here, so one-hour-30 [minutes] for 6-2 6-3 is pretty long. But I know how to play well in these long rallies,” Medvedev explained after his win.
“I think I had the match under control. He managed to play one very good game at 4-2, but I was like, ‘Okay, I just have to continue’, and I managed to find a way.”
Medvedev extended his record against Carballes Baena to 3-0 at Indian Wells but has two defeats to his one win against third-round opponent Sebastian Korda.
The Grand Slam winner is expecting a tough test against Korda, who has come out on top in each of their last two meetings on the court.
He added: “He can play really well, and I know that Indian Wells is a tough tournament.
“Starting from the first game, you have to play your best, and in the past two matches, I lost against Seb, so I’m going to try my best to beat him this time.”
Medvedev is on No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic’s side of the draw, while No. 2 and No. 3 seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud are on a collision course in the other half.
The winner of Adrian Mannarino vs Grigor Dimitrov will await Medvedev in the fourth round if he navigates past Korda.
