Daniil Medvedev faces a double test at the Libema Open, playing his first grass-court match of the season and facing an uncharacteristic game from Adrian Mannarino.
The top seed in Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, prevailed in a challenging opener with a first-set tie-break when he saved two set points at 4/6, eventually winning 7-6(6), 6-4.
"He plays perfect on grass, he plays low, so you can't really -- at least me with my strokes, I can't really hit the ball," Medvedev said of Mannarino, as quoted by ATP, Friday.
The match was the fourth meeting between the two men at the event -- the most in tournament history -- and the ninth in their head-to-head, which is now level at 2-2 in Hertogenbosch, with Medvedev leading 5-4 overall.
Five of their nine meetings have come on grass, including a five-set win for Mannarino at Wimbledon in 2018.
In a hard-fought and physical match, Medvedev did not face a break point after dropping serve in the opening game. He converted two of his nine break chances , according to Infosys ATP Statistics.
