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.

Daniil Medvedev suffered from a complete meltdown during his first-round Australian Open match against Kasidit Samrej, who became just the third Thai to play in men’s singles in a Grand Slam event in the Open Era.

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

We wrap up the first round of the Australian Open on Day 3, with 20 men’s matches on the schedule. As always, our writers here at LastWordOnTennis share their thoughts on every single match with you.

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.

Medvedev's wobble began in earnest when he squandered four break points at 3-3 midway through the third set, with Samrej then breaking in the next

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.