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Medvedev Powers Past De Jong in Australian Open First Round

Daniil Medvedev began his Australian Open campaign with a straight-sets victory over qualifier Jesper de Jong. The former World No. 1 navigated some inconsistent play and warm conditions to win in two hours and fifty-three minutes. Medvedev expressed satisfaction with the win, noting his difficult 2025 season in Grand Slams. He will next face Frenchman Quentin Halys in the second round.

Key Points: Medvedev Advances at Australian Open, Defeats De Jong

  • Straight-sets victory for Medvedev
  • Perfect 6-0 start to 2026 season
  • Overcame inconsistency in warm conditions
  • Faces Quentin Halys in second round
  • Ended 2025 with strong form
2 min read

Aus Open: Medvedev races into second round after beating Jesper de Jong

Daniil Medvedev beats Jesper de Jong in straight sets to start his 2026 Australian Open campaign. The former World No. 1 discusses the warm conditions and his form.

"The most important (thing) is to win, and hopefully I can play better next round. - Daniil Medvedev"

Melbourne, Jan 19

Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev showcased strong form on Monday at the Australian Open, comfortably defeating Jesper de Jong 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 to advance to the second round.

Medvedev, who started his year by winning the Brisbane International, converted seven out of 13 break points against De Jong. This victory also marks his perfect start of 6-0 for the 2026 season, ATP reports.

Medvedev overcame some inconsistency to defeat the World No. 73 in his first career meeting, winning in two hours and 53 minutes. Despite twice surrendering a break lead in the opening set and failing to serve out the match twice in the third, he maintained control and dominated the deciding tie-break at the Margaret Court Arena.

After a challenging 2025 season that saw just one Grand Slam win, Medvedev ended the year strongly with an ATP 250 title in Almaty. He will face Quentin Halys next, after the Frenchman beat Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets.

"Last year, I lost almost each major in the first round, except here, actually, so I'm happy to win in straight sets, even if some of them were up and down. The conditions felt slow, so we were both breaking each other's serve a lot. The most important (thing) is to win, and hopefully I can play better next round," Medvedev said in his on-court interview.

He added that he was eager to cool down in an ice bath afterwards, explaining, "It is warm, but I felt okay and I think then he was probably struggling a tiny bit more than me... Hopefully it doesn't get worse than what we felt here. For sure, a bit of an ice bath never feels bad after such a warm match."

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
Good to see him back in form. The scoreline looks comfortable but the article mentions he had some struggles closing out sets. He'll need to be more clinical against tougher opponents in later rounds.
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Priya S
As a tennis fan from Mumbai, I always enjoy watching Medvedev's unique style. His flat groundstrokes are a thing of beauty. Hope he makes a deep run this year. The Australian Open timing is perfect for us in India!
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Rohit P
Straight sets win is always good in the first round of a Slam. Saves energy. But honestly, the match was closer than the 3-0 score suggests. He got broken too many times for my liking. Needs to work on that serve consistency.
K
Karthik V
Winning Brisbane and now starting strong in Melbourne... Medvedev is on a roll! 6-0 for the season is impressive. Let's see if he can challenge for the title here. The men's draw is looking very interesting this year.
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Michael C
Respect to De Jong for pushing him in that third set tie-break. For a World No. 73, he put up a decent fight. Medvedev's experience in the big moments made the difference. On to the next one!

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