A year after Iga Swiatek’s well-publicised complaints about female players competing with a different, lighter ball compared with their male counterparts during the North American hard-court swing, this time the men also have reason to be frustrated. Daniil Medvedev, the world No 3, expressed bemusement at the balls and difficult conditions in Cincinnati, even as he advanced to the third round on Wednesday.
Medvedev, the third seed, moved on with an easy 6-3, 6-2 win against Lorenzo Musetti of Italy. Still, he felt that he was far from his best due to reasons beyond his own form.
