World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev clinched a straight-set win over Laslo Djere at the French Open but afterward claimed it was a really tough battle.
Second-seeded Medvedev cruised past Djere, handing the Serb a 6-3 6-4 6-3 loss to progress into the third round at Roland Garros.
Medvedev was down by a break in the first set but he broke Djere in the fourth and sixth games to overturn the deficit and win the opener.
In the second set, Medvedev blew an early break but broke Djere again in the ninth game and served out for a two-set lead in the following game.
After taking a two-set lead, Medvedev broke Djere three times in the third set to complete a straight-set win.
“Today I think to be honest, Laslo was playing the better clay-court tennis,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview, per the ATP website. “But I managed to fight and just put one more ball in the court than him and it was a very tough match, but I am happy to win.”
Medvedev glad he got the job done in three sets
In the third set, Medvedev blew an early break but broke Djere two more times to escape with a three-set win.
“I tried to make him play more balls and he either makes a mistake or a winner and I was not confident [in the third set] as it is only one break and one break is nothing,” Medvedev added. “I just tried to focus and play every point.”
Meanwhile, Casper Ruud joined Medvedev in the third round after beating Emil Ruusuvuori 6-3 6-4 6-2.
Ruud converted 4-of-15 of his break point chances, while Ruusuvuori went 0-of-4 on his break point opportunities.
“It was [a] high-quality match from the first to the last point,” Ruud said. “I think we both played better than what we did in Barcelona. The level was a little bit higher. Emil is playing much better on clay. He’s moving better and playing well from the baseline.”
Medvedev plays Miomir Kecmanovic next, while Ruud is set to take on Lorenzo Sonego.