Medvedev rallies to straight-sets win in Shanghai opener

Daniil Medvedev held off a stern test from Thiago Seyboth Wild to edge through his Shanghai Masters opener on Friday.

The Russian won the tight contest in straight sets, prevailing 7-5 7-5 in just under two hours.

Seyboth Wild started brightly, superbly defending five break points in the opening game before breaking Medvedev to take a 3-1 lead.

A three-game winning run at the end of the first set was enough for the world number five to edge in front.

The Brazilian made another strong start in the second but was his own worst enemy as he racked up 47 unforced errors throughout the match to Medvedev's 28.

Despite going down a break again, Medvedev rallied, staying patient to mount another comeback and book his place in the next round against Matteo Arnaldi.

Moving on in Shanghai @DaniilMedwed gets past Seyboth Wild 7-5 7-5!@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/VYhe5uuJkO

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 4, 2024

Data Debrief: Patience pays off

Last year, Seyboth Wild stunned Medvedev in the opening round at Roland Garros, as his high-risk, high-reward method paid off and he earned the win with 69 winners and 77 unforced errors.

Despite pushing the 28-year-old all the way, it did not garner the same reward this time around, despite getting 29 winners to Medvedev's 17.