Medvedev slammed the racket for continuing to be eliminated early

 

At the end of the match, Medvedev then hurled his racket into the ring to vent his frustration. - Reuters

DANIIL MEDVEDEV booked his fourth defeat in five games when he was knocked out by Reilly Opelka at home in the St Petersburg Open Tennis Championships, early this morning.

The top seed ended his gloomy rhythm with a victory over Richard Gasquet in the first round and is expected to advance as soon as he wins the first set against Opelka.

But the tall United player (US) erased his initial setback to win 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 which saw him defend Medvedev's four-point break in the third set.

The world number six advanced to the semi-finals of the US Open before facing a series of disappointing results, thus giving the biggest victory in Opelka's career.

"Against one of the best players in the world in general let alone playing at home is going to be a tough match," Opelka said.

"This is a tremendous victory for me.

"I did badly in the first set. I almost did not collect any points through his service but partly depends on his own efforts. Daniil is a nightmare for the opponent."

At the end of the match, Medvedev then hurled his racket into the ring to vent his frustration.

The hosts, however, are still able to fly the challenge through Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov.