Daniil Medvedev didn’t mind the crowd reaction this time.
The No.2-ranked Medvedev had a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win over Botic Van de Zandschulp in the third round today, two days after a challenging second-round win over Nick Kyrgios.
The US Open champion was unsettled by the booing and jeering when he took on Kyrgios, but had no such concerns on Margaret Court Arena as he advanced to the fourth round for the fourth straight year in Australia.
“I was hoping [the crowd] would be a little easier on me… I’ll put it this way – It’s easier to play a guy from Netherlands than a guy from Australia in Australia, in Melbourne,” he told the crowd, before offering some relationship advice to the fans.
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“Every good relationship must have its ups and downs. I hope it’s going to be more good times than bad times, otherwise it doesn’t work.”
Medvedev will face American Maxime Cressy in the fourth round.
Stream every match, every court of the Australian Open live and free on 9Now.
Medvedev following his win over Kyrgios vented his frustrations at the chants coming from the crowd by declaring at the time, “It’s disappointing… It’s not everybody who is doing it, but those who are doing it probably have a low IQ.”
This year’s Australian Open has notably featured many fans chanting “Siu”.
The chant is an imitation of Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo‘s iconic celebration that has gone viral in recent years, which Courier explained to Medvedev.
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