HALLE (Reuters) – Last year’s Wimbledon semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev suffered his first loss of the grasscourt season on Wednesday, going down 6-3 2-6 7-6(5) to Zhang Zhizhen in the Halle Open second round.
Russian third seed Medvedev made a shaky start but fought back in the second set, powering down five aces and breaking China’s Zhang twice.
The former U.S. Open champion paid a heavy price for double faults in the third set, however, as Zhang, ranked 42nd, came through long rallies in the tiebreak to clinch his first win against a top-five ranked opponent on grass and reach the quarter-finals.
“It was a really tough match,” Zhang said. “Last time I lost to him in a third set tiebreak. When we went into a third set tiebreak today I was thinking, perfect moment for revenge.”
Zhang will next face American Christopher Eubanks, who beat defending champion Alexander Bublik 7-6(5) 4-6 6-3.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
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