Daniil Medvedev effortlessly cleared the opening hurdle in his first tournament as number one in the tennis world. The Russian beat the Czech Tomas Machac at the Masters in Indian Wells/California in the second round after 1:11 hours 6:3, 6:2.
The 26-year-old Medvedev, who passed the 20-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic (Serbia) in the world rankings on February 28, meets Filip Krajinovic from Serbia or the Frenchman Gael Monfils in the third round. The top seeded Medvedev had a bye in the first round.
In the fight for the title at the prestigious event, Medvedev is threatened with a duel with Major record winner Rafael Nadal (Spain) for the third time.
Medvedev, who has won four Masters titles so far, lost both in the final of the Australian Open and in the semifinals in Acapulco/Mexico.