Medvedev criticized the pitch at Indian Wells

The match Medvedev - Ivashka in the third round ended with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory for the world number six. Medvedev won his 16th game in a row, but was still unhappy during and after the game. After losing the second set, he told the referee: "I'll do everything as slow as this court. I'll be in the dressing room in 25 minutes. This is not a hard court. I can't accept it. The organizers. Officials say this is a hard court, but I feel like I've been cheated."

Referee Mohamed Lahyani then said that Medvedev had to accept it, as a professional tennis player. The fifth seed then played more determined in the final set and won Ivashka 6-1.

"You hit 10 good shots in a row, but maybe not enough to get the points," Medvedev said in a post-match interview. "It's very difficult to win a series of durable balls at Indian Wells. Sometimes you have to do the best you can and wait for the opponent to make a mistake. I led deep in the third set, but still wanted to win 6-0 because things can turn around. at any time. This doesn't usually happen on hard courts."

The court at Indian Wells is among the slowest of the Masters 1000 hard courts, especially in the dark. Medvedev has won in a row for almost a month, winning three tournaments in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai. He said that nowhere is as difficult to win as at Indian Wells. "There are about 10 quality players who can play well here," added Medvedev. "I won't name those guys, but they have shots and play styles that suit this surface. For the rest, it's very difficult."

In the fourth round, Medvedev will face Alexander Zverev - who just reached the semi-finals of the Dubai Championships last week. The match is considered an early final of the tournament, as it takes place between two champion candidates. Other bright names at Indian Wells this year are Carlos Alcaraz, Andrey Rublev, Holger Rune, Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jannik Sinner.