BNP Paribas Open: Daniil Medvedev extends winning streak to 18 matches with another gutsy win in Indian Wells
Tuesday it was the ankle for Daniil Medvedev, and Wednesday it was a cut on his thumb. But neither the injury gods nor his opponents have been able to stop the Russian star.
Medvedev took time to mend a bloody thumb late in the second set, but still had enough to get by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-5 to advance to his first semifinal in Indian Wells and record his remarkable 18th consecutive win.
During his Tuesday victory over Alexander Zverev, Medvedev twisted his ankle and was able to tape it up and continue. He said after Wednesday's match that he wasn't really able to walk on it Tuesday night, and it was hurting during warm-ups on Wednesday, but the adrenaline of the match helped it to feel good.
On Wednesday, he ripped open a cut on his finger and had to stop to get medical attention. It was unclear how it happened. After he returned to the court, he got on a roll, winning the last four games to secure the win.
Medvedev will face American Frances Tiafoe for a trip to Sunday's final.
Doubles
Women's: A pair of teams advanced to the semifinals on Wednesday, one requiring a lot of effort and one requiring none.
The team of Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil and Laura Siegemund of Germany advanced by walkover against Belinda Bencic and Jil Teichmann. There was no reason given for Bencic and Teichmann's withdrawal. Haddad Maia and Siegemund will face the winner of a match between Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and Brazilian Luisa Stefani and Japan's Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi of India.
The Japanese tandem of Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara went the distance to dispatch Magda Linette of Poland and American Caty McNally. It was a tight match that went to a tiebreaker with Aoyama and Shibahara winning 6-4, 3-6, 10-8. They will face the winner of a match between the teams of Barbora Krejcikovs and Katerina Siniakova, the No. 1 seed, or Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens.
Men's: The drive for a third BNP Paribas Open men's doubles title and the second in two years is alive and well for the American team of John Isner and Jack Sock.
In the final match Wednesday on Stadium 1, Isner and Sock advanced to the doubles semifinals with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over the Italian team of Simone Boletti and Fabio Fognini.
On a chilly night that saw gusty wind as well, Isner and Sock used some acrobatic returns against the Italian team to take the first set easily. The second set was tougher, with the Italians serving stronger and working the set to 4-4. But Isner and Sock held for a 5-4 lead and then broke the Italians for the final score.
In a match on Stadium 2, the Canadian doubles team of Felix Auger-Allissime and Denis Shapovalov saw their tournament end at the hands of Rohan Bopanna of India and Matthew Ebden of Austalia, 6-4, 7-5.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Daniil Medvedev extends winning streak to 18 matches with another gutsy win
