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

Daniil Medvedev used his racket to smash a camera attached to the net during a tricky opening round win at this year’s Australian Open.

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

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 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,