ATP Round of 16: Medvedev Notches 17th Straight Win, Davidovich Fokina Reaches Milestone

All 16 remaining players in the men’s singles draw are in action Tuesday competing for coveted quarterfinal spots at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open. Scroll down for the rundown on all the ATP singles action from across the grounds…

Medvedev Recovers, And Rises 

Down on the back of the court in agony in the second set, his right ankle starting to swell, Daniil Medvedev‘s short-term future was very much in doubt on Tuesday afternoon inside of Stadium 1. The grey mass of clouds that hovered above the stadium, obstructing the sun, felt like an omen.

But the No. 5 seed was having none of it.

He squirmed as trainers maneuvered his sockless right ankle during a medical timeout, but decided to play on after a tape job.

What were his chances though, of beating the surging Alexander Zverev with a gimp ankle?

Better than we imagined…

Medvedev got up from his chair and continued to scrap with the hard-hitting German, ignoring the pain and instead focusing on preserving his otherworldly winning streak, coming through with a hard-fought 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5 triumph that is a testament to the mental – and physical – toughness that Medvedev possesses.

Make it 17 wins on the trot for the former World No.1.

“I’m happy to win one more match,” Medvedev told the crowd after his win. “This one was definitely the toughest one out of all the ones I won.”

Medvedev went on to talk about how he experienced his ankle injury after rolling the ankle during the sixth game of the second set.

“When I rolled my ankle I rolled it pretty hard,” he said. “At the moment I rolled it I was like ‘Okay I’m going to stand up and it’s going to be fine’ but then I continued to stay on the ground because the pain was only growing – usually that’s not a good sign so I thought I was going to stop.

“What was actually surprising is that to move was much easier than to walk, so that’s why when I was walking I was limping, but I could actually move kind of fine, probably 95 percent – so yeah, it was definitely a crazy match, because I had to adapt my body, which was cramping at the end, in some strange muscles which usually don’t work on the court.”

Medvedev needed three hours and 17 minutes to finish off the No.12 seed after Zverev added to the drama by saving a match point and breaking for 5-5 in the final set. Once again, the No.5 seed responded to the challenge, breaking back immediately and finishing off yet another satisfying win.

Medvedev, who reaches the last eight at the BNP Paribas Open for the first time, improves to 22-2 on the season.

Davidovich Fokina Is Next For Medvedev 

Earlier in the day, out on Stadium 4, Spain’s Alejandro Davidovch Fokina reached his first Indian Wells quarterfinal with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Chile’s Cristian Garin.

The Spaniard, a former Masters 1000 finalist at Monte-Carlo, has lost both of his previous meetings with Medvedev in three sets.

Norrie Rolls Past Rublev 

2021 champion Cameron Norrie is revving it up in the Coachella Valley once again. The No.10 seed notched a 6-2, 6-4 victory over seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev to book his slot in the quarterfinals for the third consecutive year. In that span the left-hander has won 12 of 13 of his matches at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Norrie stretched his 2023 win-loss record to an impressive 21-3 with the victory, and improves to 2-2 against Rublev.

The British No.1 converted all five break points he saw on the day, and struck 16 winners against 11 unforced errors. He will face either Frances Tiafoe or Alejandro Tabilo in the quarterfinals.

Alcaraz Moves Into Quarterfinals, Sinner Stops Wawrinka 

The Carlos Alcaraz freight train rumbles on. The high-flying Spaniard was granted safe passage into the quarterfinals when 21-year-old Jack Draper was forced to retire due to injury, trailing 6-2, 2-0 RET. Top-seeded Alcaraz will square off with either Tommy Paul or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Stan Wawrinka‘s inspiring run came to an end on Stadium 3 on Tuesday evening as upwardly mobile Italian Jannik Sinner notched a 6-1, 6-4 victory over the three-time Slam champion to set a date with Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals. Sinner improves to 15-3 on the season as he reaches his first ever quarterfinal at the BNP Paribas Open.