Daniil Medvedev will face Alexei Popyrin on Sunday at the Miami Open for a place in the 4th round. During an easy opening match against Hsun Lu (6-2 6-2), tennis fans were more attracted by Daniil’s new mustache than the actual scoreline.
The world no.2 showed off this new hairy look, making people wonder the reason behind it. Eventually, when asked to explain his choice, he revealed how he got to the idea of growing a mustache.
“Last year, at the beginning of the year, I was doing a photo shoot, and they were shaving me for the photo shoot, and they just left the mustache for a few minutes. I was, like, ‘It’s not too bad.’ It was a little bit different because they had special shavers and stuff, so I think it was looking better.
Since that time, I always thought, ‘Okay, one moment, I’m just going to do it for fun for one tournament or something like this.’”
However, then the world no.2 conceded that the experiment would not last after Miami:
“So probably after Miami, I’m going to shave them off, but for this tournament, it’s going to be like this, and let’s see what people say,” he said.
Next vs. Popyryin
Daniil Medvedev will compete against the world no.86 Alexei Popyrin in the 3rd round on Sunday at 1:30 pm on Grandstand. Their actual record is 2-0 for Medvedev.
Previously, the last time they squared off, Daniil Medvedev won 6-4 6-3 6-2 in the 3rd round in Melbourne (Australian Open) in January 2020.
In the following video, you can watch the key moments of their match.
Medvedev in Miami, ranking, and results in 2021
Currently ranked no.2 (career-high), Daniil has a compiled 15-2 match record in 2021. Daniil is playing at the moment in Miami where he managed to beat Yen-Hsun Lu 6-2 6-2.
The Russian clinched 1 title in 2021 in Marseille. Medvedev reached the final at the Australian Open.
The Russian won 10 titles in his career: 4 on hard courts and 6 on indoor courts. (See the list of his titles)
Popyrin in Miami, ranking, and results in 2021
Currently ranked no.86, the Australian has achieved a 11-3 record in 2021. Popyrin is competing in Miami where he toppled Feliciano Lopez 6-4 7-64 and Reilly Opelka 6-4 6-2.
Alexei clinched 1 title in 2021 in Singapore.
