Daniil Medvedev starts title defence with win over Alexander Shevchenko in Dubai

DUBAI: The World No. 4 Daniil Medvedev returned to action in typically tenacious style with a victory over Alexander Shevchenko to begin his title defence at the hard-court Dubai Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates.

The World No. 4 swamped Shevchenko 6-3, 7-5 at the hard-court ATP 500 event. Medvedev broke in three straight return games to win the opening set, then reeled off four games in a row from 3-5 in the second set to seal an 88-minute victory. His next opponent in Dubai as he looks to win the same tour-level title twice for the first time will be Lorenzo Sonego.

"When you take a week or two off, but it's something you planned, then it's kind of easy tennis-wise, just a couple of points or games to get back. I did take a week and a half off by myself and then when I came back I started feeling pain here and there, not practising 100 per cent," Medvedev was quoted as saying by ATP.

"It's very tricky, because when you come into a match you have to forget about it and when you think about something other than tennis you are going to lose the match. I managed to do it, I didn't feel any pain and I'm looking forward to tomorrow," he added. Medvedev converted five of the nine break points he collected, according to ATP Stats, increasing his ATP Head2Head series advantage over Shevchenko to 2-0.

The Kazakhstani demonstrated the skill that has propelled him into the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings but was ultimately unable to wear Medvedev down. "He played well, especially the second set, and that's why the score was tougher in the second set. I managed to play a very good game when he served for the set and managed to [win] the next one on my serve which was tricky," reflected Medvedev. "In general, to be honest, I am happy with my level, because it is not easy to come back after an injury.

You always try to straightaway put your game back, but its not easy and I'm happy to beat such a good opponent and am looking forward to the next round," he added. Elsewhere, Ugo Humbert finished a swift victory against his countryman Gael Monfils 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. The fifth-seeded Humbert this time rallied to a two-hour and 13-minute win on his Dubai debut.