Russian tennis ace Daniil Medvedev breezed to victory over America’s John Isner to cement his team’s lead in Group D at the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia.
The 23-year-old only needed an hour and one minute to beat his lower-ranked opponent in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.
“Daniil Medvedev breaks John Isner four times, wins 6-3, 6-1. He is really not messing around to start the season,” Portuguese tennis pundit Jose Morgado said.
With that victory, Team Russia has prematurely won its group stage clash against the USA, as earlier Karen Khachanov outplayed Taylor Fritz in a nail-biting three-set thriller, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.
On Friday, Team Russia, led by Khachanov and Medvedev, opened their ATP Cup campaign on a positive note, defeating Italy on the first competitive day.
Having beaten two solid teams, they have practically ensured their participation in the quarterfinals, which will take place next week.
The newly-introduced tournament sees 24 teams divided into six groups, with the group winners and two best-placed runners-up qualifying for the quarterfinals.
The Russian squad, which is captained by two-time Grand Slam winner Marat Safin, will face Norway on Tuesday in their final Group D matches.