Sawt Falasteen - Medvedev doubles down with another defeat of Musetti

The third seed, who won the title here in 2019, needed just 77 minutes to dispatch the Italian 6-3, 6-2 after also having beaten him six days ago in Toronto.

Medvedev turned in an efficient victory as he lined up match point with an overhead smash and finished off with a service winner.

He advanced to the third round with 19 winners and 21 unforced errors while his opponent could manage just seven winners.

"This was my first Masters 1000 title," Medvedev said. "So I always have special memories here.

"Every match at this level is tough. If you play five percent worse you would lose. It's just about small gaps. I'm happy to win this one."

Medvedev has been the model of consistency, earning a tour-leading 23 match wins this season in Masters events, triumphs which have yielded Masters titles in Miami and Rome.

"I don't do it all the time, but every time I step onto the court I try to win. The more I do that the better I feel," he said.

"Today I managed to be a bit better in the important moments. I got better and better as the match went on."

Elsewhere, Toronto semi-finalist Tommy Paul moved into position as the next opponent for top seed Carlos Alcaraz with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) defeat of Frenchman Ugo Humbert.

Q.Jaber--SF-PST