Daniil Medvedev secured his place in the Indian Wells quarterfinals for the third consecutive year with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over American Tommy Paul on Tuesday at the BNP Paribas Open.
The fifth-seeded Russian started strong, taking a 4-0 lead in the first set before Paul fought back to level at 4-4. Medvedev then regained control, winning the next two games to close the set. He dominated the second set, breaking Paul twice and winning six straight games to seal the match.
The fourth-round contest, originally scheduled earlier in the day, was delayed multiple times due to rain and ultimately began at 9:55 p.m. in front of a half-filled Stadium Court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Despite the late start, a dedicated crowd remained to witness the rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Medvedev also won.
Paul, who was aiming to become just the sixth American to reach back-to-back quarterfinals at Indian Wells this century, struggled with his serve in the second set. Medvedev capitalized, breaking early and extending his lead to 4-0 before closing out the match.
Medvedev now holds a 13-2 record in his last 15 matches at Indian Wells. He reached the final in the past two editions and will face 20th seed Arthur Fils of France in the quarterfinals on Thursday.