Medvedev cruises in Cincinnati opener
Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced as former world number one Andy Murray lost in the second round.
Daniil Medvedev reached the third round of the Western & Southern Open, where Stefanos Tsitsipas also progressed.
Fresh off winning the National Bank Open, top seed Medvedev cruised past Mackenzie McDonald 6-2 6-2 in his Cincinnati opener.
With defending champion Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal absent from the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, all eyes are on Medvedev and second seed Tsitsipas, who overcame Sebastian Korda 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.
Former world number one Andy Murray, though, was sent packing midweek.
Medvedev stays hot
Three days after winning his fourth Masters 1000 crown in Toronto, Medvedev continued his good form at the Western & Southern Open.
Medvedev – the 2019 champion – has now won 16 of his past 18 matches dating back to June's Mallorca Championships as he prepares to face former world number three Grigor Dimitrov, who beat Alexander Bublik 6-3 7-5.
"He beat two good opponents here. He's a very tough player," Medvedev said of Dimitrov after extending his winning streak to seven matches at the Western & Southern Open. "I played him one time in the semi-finals of a Slam. It means something. I need to show my best to try to win this match. Hopefully I will be able to do it."
Tsitsipas passes Korda test
Greek star Tsitsipas recorded his first victory at the Lindner Family Tennis Centre, where he won 89 per cent of his first-serve points while saving two break points.
A semi-finalist in Toronto last week, Lorenzo Sonego is next up after the Italian topped qualifier Tommy Paul 7-6 (11-9) 6-2.
"I was able to bring the best out of my game when things got tough and persevere," said Tsitsipas. "I was consistent throughout the important moments and I think just trying to find solutions and ways to apply as much pressure as possible. That was the key element today."
Third seed and Olympic gold medallist Alexander Zverev dispatched Lloyd Harris 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 and fourth seed Andrey Rublev came back to defeat 2016 champion Marin Cilic 5-7 6-3 6-1.
Murray no match for Hurkacz
Three-time major champion Murray crashed out in straight sets following a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 loss to ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz.
Murray – a champion in Cincinnati in 2008 and 2011 – was appearing for only the second time since the Tokyo Games.
"Playing against Murray is something special. I never had a chance to play a match against him [before]," Hurkacz said. "He's such a great competitor. What he's done for the sport is really amazing. He's such a great player and a person. It's a very big win for me."
Gael Monfils reached a milestone, celebrating his 500th tour-level victory by downing Alex de Minaur 6-3 7-5 and Casper Ruud earned his 100th win thanks to a 6-7 (5-7) 6-0 7-6 (7-4) success against Reilly Opelka, while Pablo Carreno-Busta and Diego Schwartzman also moved through.
