On a cloudy afternoon, the No. 3-seeded Alcaraz went through some ups and downs against No. 5 Medvedev, a 28-year-old from Russia.
“I started really, really nervous,” Alcaraz said. “He was dominating the match.”
Indeed, Medvedev grabbed an early 5-2 lead, but then got into trouble with his play and his temper.
Alcaraz broke to get within 5-4 with a drop shot that chair umpire Eva Asderaki ruled — correctly, according to TV replays — bounced twice before Medvedev got his racket on the ball. He voiced his displeasure, and Asderaki, after climbing down from her seat to huddle with tournament referee Denise Parnell during the ensuing changeover, issued a warning to Medvedev for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“I said something in Russian. Not unpleasant, but not over the line,” Medvedev said at his news conference.
He regrouped quickly and was just about perfect in that set’s tiebreaker.
Then it was Alcaraz’s turn to get headed in the right direction, which didn’t take long. He got the last break he would need for a 4-3 edge in the fourth when Medvedev sailed a backhand long, then sat in his sideline chair, locked eyes with his two coaches and started muttering and gesticulating.
