Medvedev, who lost to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the back-to-back finals in 2021 and 2022, respectively, and then to Jannik Sinner last year, took the first set against his Samrej 6-2

Fifth seed and multiple Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev smashed his racquet in an epic meltdown in his first-round match on Tuesday. Medvedev threatened to be on the wrong side of the biggest upsets in tennis history before regrouping to beat Thai wildcard and world No.418 Kasidit Samrej 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in just over three hours.

Daniil Medvedev destroyed his racket and a net camera in a mid-match meltdown as he survived a huge scare against Thai wildcard Kasidit Samrej to reach the Australian Open second round on Tuesday.