For Daniil Medvedev, the path to the third round of the Australian Open has been anything but straightforward. In the second round, he spent more than three hours on court, defeating the Frenchman Quentin Halys in four sets (6:7, 6:3, 6:4, 6:2). His next opponent will be Fabian Marozsan, who comes into the match in excellent form: in January he has lost only twice and has confidently come through the early stages in Melbourne.
Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev has not lost a match this season, having already claimed the title at the Brisbane International. This year he looks noticeably calmer in long rallies, although he is still at times overly cautious. That has led to long matches against Jesper de Jong and Quentin Halys, where he twice went to a tie-break. Moreover, in six of his last seven matches at Grand Slam events the total has exceeded 36 games.
Fabian Marozsan
Fabian Marozsan is an interesting all-round player who is capable of surprising opponents with unconventional choices. Hard courts are not straightforward for him – his win–loss record is 67-40 – and in Melbourne he, like Daniil Medvedev, has twice been taken to a tie-break. He also struggles against the very top players: over his career he has lost all 17 matches against top-10 opponents, although in four of his six Grand Slam meetings with players ranked inside the top 30 he has taken at least one set. In his current form, Marozsan is capable of causing Medvedev plenty of problems, especially early in the match.
Daniil Medvedev vs Fabian Marozsan Prediction
Daniil Medvedev is undoubtedly the favourite, but Marozsan plays with freedom, and his long rallies and risky strokes could prolong the contest. It will be important for the Russian to control the tempo and not allow his opponent to gain confidence, but the match is likely to last a long time, with a high number of games.
