London — World number three Daniil Medvedev defeated close friend Marton Fucsovics to reach the Wimbledon last 16 for the second time on Saturday.
Medvedev came through 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 against the muscular 67th-ranked Hungarian, recording his best Slam performance this year after a third-round exit at the Australian Open and first-round loss at the French Open.
Fucsovics, a quarter-finalist in 2021, saw his faltering challenge unravel when broken early in the fourth set, before calling a medical time-out to treat a right foot injury.
Despite that setback, he still made Medvedev work for the victory, saving a clutch of match points before the third seed prevailed.
"It was a very tough match," said the 27-year-old former US Open champion. "Marton plays well on grass and has made the quarter-finals here, which I haven't done.
"I was more decisive after the first set, saved some break points and I'm happy to be through."
He added: "I want to do well here. It's my worst Grand Slam in terms of results so I have a big motivation to do well here."
Medvedev, who was banned from Wimbledon in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, will face either US 16th seed Tommy Paul or unseeded Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic for a place in the quarter-finals.
AFP