MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Daniil Medvedev used his racket to smash a tiny camera attached to the net at the Australian Open while he was trailing someone ranked 418th before eventually avoiding a monumental upset and winning 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the first round at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.

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

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.

Daniil Medvedev earns code violation for racket abuse before rallying past wild card entrant; Taylor Fritz carries U.S. banner forward.

Daniil Medvedev defeated Kasidit Samrej (6–2, 4–6, 3–6, 6–1, 6–2) in the first round of the Australian Open, but as you can tell, it was not all smooth sailing for the fifth ranked player in the world.

After a tumultuous start, last year’s runner-up Daniil Medvedev steadied himself to avoid an upset of monumental proportions against World #418 Kasidit Samrej to close the match 6-2 4-6 3-6 6-1 6-2 in the first round of the Australian Open on Rod Laver Arena.

Daniil Medvedev used his racket to smash a tiny camera attached to the net at the Australian Open while he was trailing Kasidit Samrej, the 418th-ranked player in the world, before eventually avoiding a monumental upset and winning 6-2,