Sports Writing, June 15 (EFE).- The Russian Daniil Medvedev, first favorite, and the Canadian Milos Raonic, back in the competition after two years, were excluded from the quarter-finals of the Bolduque tournament, in the Netherlands, eliminated by Frenchman Adrien Mannarino and Australian Jordan Thompson, respectively.

The tournament was left without two of its main demands. Neither Medvedev nor Raonic were among the eight contenders for the grass-court event.

The elimination of the Moscovite, the third player in the world, was particularly striking. His grass-court debut this season ended in a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 loss to an opponent he had faced four times before with tie wins.

In two hours, Medvedev lost his first match on grass in 2024. The winner of the Masters 1000 in Rome and Miami, and the tournaments in Dubai, Doha and Rotterdam this year, fell to Mannarino, winner in Bolduque in 2019 and who will play with the Australian Jordan Thompson, executioner of the Canadian Milos Raonic by 7-6 (4) and 6-1.

The oceanic has bitter return to competition two years after Raonic. The Canadian, who became a Wimbledon finalist and third player in the world, was out for 22 months due to injury. He came back with a first-round win over Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic but, in his second official game since July 2021, he couldn’t beat Thompson.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Alex de Minaur embodied his fourth-seed status by beating Serbia’s Laslo Djere 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3, and met sixth-seeded Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor , which knocked down Australian Alexei Popyrin. (6-3, 6-2) in two sets.