Then he had hassle tying the laces of his proper shoe proper earlier than the deciding fifth set.
Trying on the clock, he was frank with the individuals who’d stayed there till a few hours earlier than the solar was because of rise.
A spectator reacts as he watches the second spherical match between Ruusuvuori and Medvedev.Credit score: AP
“Truthfully guys, I might not be right here,” Medvedev mentioned in an on-court interview. “Thanks for staying. If I might be a tennis fan and I might come, at 1am I might be like ‘OK, let’s go dwelling. We’re going to catch the tip of the match on the TV.’”
It was the newest end thus far this yr, however not near the match file. Andy Murray completed off Thanasi Kokkinakis simply after 4am final yr in a second-round match that lasted 5 hours, 45 minutes.
And that was solely ok for second place on the all-time listing. The most recent-finishing match in Grand Slam historical past ended with Lleyton Hewitt beating Marcos Baghdatis at 4:34am in 2008.
After participant complaints final yr, Australian Open organisers determined to increase the match by including a fifteenth day and beginning on a Sunday for the primary time.
Medvedev indicators autographs after defeating Ruusuvuori.Credit score: AP
The primary spherical was cut up over three days, and no matches went previous 2am.
However the first day of the second spherical was solely completely different story, with two early males’s matches going to a decisive tie-breaker after 5 units and top-ranked Iga Swiatek’s opener in opposition to Danielle Collins going for nearly 3 1/4 hours.
And so day 5 of the Australian Open completed on a Friday, anyway.
Medvedev mentioned he’d must heat down, get some physiotherapy and attempt to get to sleep by 6:30am and get up a while after noon to start out getting ready for his third-round match in opposition to Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Medvedev has a blister attended to by a coach throughout his second spherical match in opposition to Ruusuvuori.Credit score: AP
Ruusuvurori, a 24-year-old from Finland who was aiming to succeed in the third spherical for the primary time at a significant, began properly.
He broke the 2021 US Open champion’s serve within the second sport and took the primary set in 42 minutes. It took nearly twice that lengthy to take the second set in a tie-breaker for a 2-0 lead.
After a medical timeout, Medvedev began his comeback. He broke for a 2-1 lead and, after an change of breaks, he took the third set in 49 minutes.
He additionally broke to open the fourth. However Ruusuvurori broke again, changing with a leaping overhead, to get again on serve and had Medvedev screaming towards his assist staff within the stands.
He held for a 5-4 lead with a few forehand passing photographs, and Medvedev hurled his racket into the courtroom earlier than he walked to the chairs for the changeover. It earned him a warning from the chair umpire.
At deuce within the subsequent sport, Ruusuvuori was two factors from profitable the match at 2:56am.
However he stepped in to a service return and missed a forehand large down the road, after which despatched a forehand lengthy.
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In spite of everything that, the tip got here comparatively shortly.
Medvedev took a 4-0 lead within the tie-breaker, seizing momentum.
After an nearly eight-minute break between the fourth and fifth units, Medvedev’s expertise kicked in and Ruusuvuori’s legs gave out.
The 30-minute deciding set was solely extended by Ruusuvuori taking a medical timeout for therapy on his sore proper shoulder.
“The one two matches I’ve come again from two units to like down was on this courtroom,” Medvedev mentioned.
Going into the match he was 4-10 in five-setters, together with a loss to Rafael Nadal within the 2022 last after he’d taken the primary two units.
“This one,” he mentioned, “goes to for certain keep in my reminiscence.”
AP
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