Medvedev squanders a lead in every set as Struff completes a stunning turnaround
A break down in the first, 5-2 down in the second, a double break down in the third – and a winner in straight sets: Jan-Lennard Struff (No 74) stunned Daniil Medvedev (No 8) 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 7-5 to reach the Wimbledon last 16.
Daniil Medvedev and Jen-Lennart Struff, Wimbledon 2026 | © Kieran McManus/Shutterstock/SIPA
German Jan-Lennard Struff produced the upset of the day at Wimbledon on Friday afternoon, recovering from a losing position in all three sets to beat Russian eighth seed Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 7-5 and reach the fourth round for the first time.
The scoreline flattered the loser and told only half the story. Medvedev led by a break in the opening set, moved 5-2 ahead in the second and went a double break up in the third, yet contrived to win none of them – pegged back each time by an opponent who simply refused to go away. It was Struff who found the decisive strokes, converting the pressure into a straight-sets win that belied how close the German had come to trailing by two sets and more.
The 36-year-old’s run has been built on his nerve in the tightest moments. Struff has now won six tie-breaks across his first three matches, a tally bettered only by Wayne Arthurs, who won seven on his way through the 1999 draw – the most by any man in the opening three rounds of a Major in the Open era.
Medvedev’s bad habits in Slams
That composure was hard-earned: he came through a five-set epic against American seed No 28 Brandon Nakashima (4-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-7 (6), 7-6 (7)) and another five-setter against Argentinian Sebastian Baez (6-1, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 2-6, 7-5) before ending Medvedev’s week. He also avenged a personal defeat, having lost to the Russian in the third round at the All England Club two years ago.
For Medvedev, ranked No 9, the manner of the loss will sting. The former world No 1 had reached the third round with wins over Spaniard Daniel Merida (3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2) and Croat Marin Cilic (6-1, 6-2, 6-4), but a habit of early Grand Slam exits that once looked isolated is hardening into a pattern, and to relinquish a lead in each set of a match points to more than misfortune.
Struff will next face the winner of the third-round meeting between Pole Hubert Hurkacz and American seed No 21 Tommy Paul for a place in the quarter-finals.
SEO summary: Jan-Lennard Struff beat eighth seed Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 7-5 at Wimbledon 2026 to reach the fourth round for the first time, recovering from a losing position in every set. The world No 74, who has won six tie-breaks in three rounds, next faces Hubert Hurkacz or Tommy Paul.
