US Open: Daniil Medvedev Marches Into Third Round With Christopher O'Connell Rout

Daniil Medvedev charged into the US Open third round with a 6-3 6-2 6-4 demolition of Australian battler Christopher O’Connell on Thursday.

The Russian third seed, beaten by Rafael Nadal in last year’s classic final, broke 116th-ranked O’Connell four times while giving him nothing on serve under a closed roof at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

O’Connell, who cleaned boats in Sydney to make ends meet while injuries hampered his tennis aspirations, took a lengthy medical time-out to have a trainer work on an apparent back strain at 4-1 in the second set.

The 26-year-old dug in admirably in the final set, prising his only two break points from the Russian, but Medvedev saved them and sealed the match with a big serve.

Medvedev next faces young American J.J. Wolf for a place in the last 16.