Daniil Medvedev Survives Against Qualifier Pablo Llamas Ruiz To Advance At Italian Open
There are tennis matches where everything feels smooth, polished, almost scripted. Then there are Daniil Medvedev matches; the kind where chaos walks onto the court carrying a racket and somehow leaves with the victory speech. Monday in Rome felt exactly like that.
Daniil Medvedev looked rattled early, frustrated often, and dangerously close to the exit door against Spain’s rising grinder Pablo Llamas Ruiz. But somewhere between the muttering, the flat backhands, and the classic Medvedev facial expressions that scream “I hate this sport” while simultaneously mastering it, the former US Open champion flipped the switch.
He rallied past Llamas Ruiz in three sets at the Italian Open, surviving a serious scare in Rome and advancing with the kind of win that probably took a year off his coaching staff’s lives.
Medvedev Looked Uncomfortable Early
For stretches of the first set, Medvedev looked like a guy trying to solve algebra during a fire drill. Llamas Ruiz came out fearless. The Spaniard attacked second serves, redirected pace beautifully, and forced his opponent into awkward movement patterns on the clay. At one point, the underdog’s forehand was landing with so much confidence that the Rome crowd started sensing something spicy was brewing. And honestly? It nearly happened.
Medvedev dropped the opening set and spent much of it wearing the expression of a man who had just discovered his airline had lost his luggage and his espresso order at the same time. But that’s the strange beauty of Medvedev. He rarely panics, even when things look ugly. He absorbs pressure like a boxer leaning into punches on the ropes, waiting for opponents to blink first. Eventually, Llamas Ruiz blinked.
Rome Clay Still Isn’t Medvedev’s Best Friend
The funny thing about Medvedev on clay is that he talks about the surface as if it personally insulted his family years ago. The Russian has never hidden his complicated relationship with clay courts, but over the last few seasons, he’s quietly evolved into a much smarter dirt-ball player. He is defending deeper, constructing points with more patience, and picking better moments to attack.
Against Llamas Ruiz, that adjustment became obvious after the first set. Medvedev stopped forcing low-percentage winners and started dragging the Spaniard into longer exchanges. The match slowly shifted from explosive shot-making into physical survival. That’s where he becomes terrifying.
Even when his game looks messy, he has this eerie ability to make opponents feel trapped in a maze. One extra ball. One awkward angle. One impossible defensive get. Suddenly, the court feels smaller on the other side of the net.
The Signature Medvedev Chaos Returned
The match wasn’t complete without a little Medvedev theater, of course. There were mutters toward the player box. There were sarcastic smiles. There were moments where he looked completely done emotionally before immediately producing a ridiculous passing shot.
What This Win Means Moving Forward
Nobody will frame this performance and hang it in a museum. It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t dominant. It definitely wasn’t relaxing. But in tournaments like Rome, ugly wins sometimes matter more than pretty ones.
Medvedev showed resilience, adjusted tactically, and survived a dangerous opponent who had nothing to lose. Those are the kinds of matches top players quietly build momentum from before the second week gets serious.
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