Daniil Medvedev victorious in US Open return

WHAT HAPPENED: A year after enjoying the summer of his life, when he reached consecutive finals at Washington, Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open, Daniil Medvedev made his return to Arthur Ashe Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night, the memories of his epic five-set tussle with Rafael Nadal still fresh.

Those New Yorkers who had booed him mercilessly, only to be won over by the playfully villainous Russian in the end, were nowhere to be seen. But Medvedev’s form was just as sharp as it was when he pushed Nadal to the very limit. The No. 3 seed eased past 79th-ranked Argentine Federico Delbonis on Day 2, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, in one hour, 46 minutes.

“I was most pleased with the score—three sets are important in the first round,” he said. “Especially playing so late. It’s 11:20 right now. I’m happy I finished before midnight. I was playing consistent. I didn’t go for crazy shots. That was the key today.”

The opening set lasted only 32 minutes, with Medvedev converting two of his four break-point opportunities. He would drop just two points on his serve (16 for 18).

It was more of the same in the second set, Delbonis finally managing to get on the scoreboard in the fifth game. So sharp was Medvedev that, ahead 5-1, he scrambled toward the net for a no-look backhand pass, walking back to the baseline sporting a wry smile.

To his credit, Delbonis didn’t pack it in. The 29-year-old baseliner, who’s reached the second round in only two of six US Open appearances, held serve to open the final set. But he simply didn’t have an extra gear with which to work his way back into the match.

WHAT IT MEANS: Christopher O’Connell is next up for Medvedev in the second round. The Australian world No. 116 also advanced on Tuesday via a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 win over Serb Laslo Djere. This will be their first meeting.

MATCH POINT: Medvedev’s run to the US Open final last summer was part of a 29-3 stretch that included six consecutive finals between July 29 and October 13.