Medvedev advances in Miami as Murray downed

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – MARCH 26: Andy Murray of Great Britain fists bumps with Daniil Medvedev after falling to the court during the 2022 Miami Open presented by Itaú at Hard Rock Stadium on March 26, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Mark Brown/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Mark Brown / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Daniil Medvedev is thriving on the pressure of being the man to beat after dispatching Andy Murray in straight sets at the Miami Open on Saturday to edge closer to regaining his world number one ranking.

The Russian top seed served superbly against the 34-year-old three-time Grand Slam champion to ease to a straightforward 6-4, 6-2 triumph at Hard Rock Stadium and will face Spain’s Pedro Martinez next.

Medvedev lost his No. 1 ranking after just 18 days, having failed to go deep in Indian Wells, but will regain it once again from the absent Novak Djokovic if he reaches the semi-finals in Florida.

With Djokovic and Rafael Nadal both missing, the 26-year-old is the favorite to claim his first Miami Open title and his performance against Murray showed he’s in the kind of form that will cause the rest of the field a multitude of problems.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – MARCH 26: Andy Murray of Great Britain falls to the court while playing against Daniil Medvedev during the 2022 Miami Open presented by Itaú at Hard Rock Stadium on March 26, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Mark Brown/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Mark Brown / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

“It could be the biggest win of their season but I like to be in this position. The more pressure you have, the more you expect from yourself.

“At the beginning of my career, I would be really happy when I was in the third round for the