Daniil Medvedev defies 'wizardry' shot, gaping deficit in 'Herculean' win to reach fourth round

Daniil Medvedev dropped the first two sets, was down a break in the third and in one eventful moment was on the wrong end of "a little bit of wizardry".

But the former world No.1, well hydrated by the squint-inducing pickle juice, came roaring back to win his third-round Australian Open match against Fábián Marozsán in five sets on Friday.

In carving out a 6-7(5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, 6-3 victory on Margaret Court Arena, the 11th-seeded Russian became the first player at this year's tournament to win a match after being two sets down.

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He will face 20-year-old American Learner Tien, the 25th seed, in the fourth round of the men's singles draw on Sunday.

"I managed to stay strong and I'm happy about it," Medvedev said in his on-court interview.

"He played great, and I was like, 'Look, if I lose, I lose, but I'm just going to try, I'm just going to fight, I do this all the time'."

Medvedev was on the wrong end of a stroke of mastery — a tinge of luck may have played its part — when Marozsán, lurking at the net during the first-set tiebreak, reacted with meteorically fast reflexes to a blasting forehand.

Marozsán found himself at the net after scampering off the baseline to test Medvedev's legs with a cross-court volley.

Medvedev, one of the fastest players on the tour, dashed across the baseline and set himself for the shot with ample time to spare.

The former US Open champion then sent a forehand rifling down the line.

But Marozsán, the world No.47, lurched to his left and got racquet to ball, and the ball looped over the net.

Medvedev got the ball back over the net, but not before it had bounced twice, beaten by a millimetre-perfect drop shot produced at barely a split second's notice.

"Incredible," said commentator Nick Lester.

"I'm not sure he had any idea what was going on there," added co-commentator Rob Koenig.

"But a little bit of wizardry at the end of his range ... Or was it more luck?"

At two sets down, as well as a break in the third, it appeared the torrid grand slam run Medvedev has had of late was about to extend to another early-tournament defeat.

Not including the ongoing Melbourne major, the 29-year-old has featured in four grand slams since reaching the quarter-finals of the 2024 US Open, but advanced no further than the round of 64.

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In Melbourne last year, he was bundled out in the second round by Tien, the young American he will meet on Sunday.

Friday's spirited fightback was carved out over the course of three hours and 43 minutes.

He took a swig of his pickle juice moments before serving for the match.

"I was not cramping but I was like, 'I don't want to cramp'," Medvedev grinned.

"It happens to me sometimes when you serve for the match. You get a bit tighter; a small cramp here and there.

"I was like, 'I better drink some pickle juice and not cramp'. I didn't cramp and I served good, so that helped."

Koenig described Medvedev's successful escape mission as "Herculean".

Said his co-commentator: "This man has got a habit of pulling a rabbit out of the hat."