The World No.2 downed Hubert Hurkacz in his opening match and backed that up against the German.
Follow Us
Reigning champion Daniil Medvedev registered a thrilling three-set 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 victory over Alexander Zverev on Tuesday at the Nitto ATP Finals. The crucial victory boosts his semi-final chances as he moved to 2-0 in Red Group action. The World No.2 downed Hubert Hurkacz in his opening match and backed that up against the German. He struck the ball with consistent depth and found his rhythm for most of the match, as he recovered from a dip in the second set. The Russian then survived a final set tie-break to secure victory after two hours and 35 minutes in a pulsating clash in Turin. As a result, Medvedev has moved level with the 24-year-old on a tour-leading 56 wins this season.
“Definitely one of the matches to remember,” Medvedev said. “When you win 8/6 in the tie-break in the third, it was 4/2 for him so I was like okay, he serves a few aces it’s done. I made it 6/4 and I was like okay, that’s my moment now. It’s back to 6/6, you get really tight, because I wanted to make a brave move on the 6/5 second serve and volley, didn’t work out at all. He made an amazing shot. You are like maybe I should have stayed at the baseline. If I lose the match because of this it’s going to be tough… Just an amazing feeling. Not actually much to say about the match, just amazing.”
The Russian had edged Dominic Thiem to win the title at the season finale last year. He now leads Zverev 6-5 in their ATP Head2Head series, having won his past five matches against the World No.3. It includes victories in Australia and Paris this year. “Sometimes that’s how tennis is,” Medvedev added. “You just try to do your best. Sometimes luck is on your side, sometimes not. Sometimes it’s more than just luck. I just try to do my best and I’m really happy the past seven matches went in my favour.”
Notably, Medvedev serve and volleyed twice in the third-set tie-break. It was also on his second match point at 6/5, but he won neither point. “I lost both of them, so I guess it was a bad choice,” Medvedev said. “I want to stand here and say I was so brave and showed big guts, but I lost two points, so no. It was a bad choice. I decided it was a good choice to make against Sascha and it didn’t work out. But I am happy I managed to continue to go for my shots.”
Andrey Rublev stunned Greek sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas with a 6-4, 6-4 victory to start his Nitto ATP Finals campaign. It’s a much-needed victory for Rublev, who has struggled to regain his usual top form of late. The Russian, who had lost five of his past seven matches, did not face a break point as he got past Tsitsipas in an hour and 30 minutes.
“I think these are the moments that we are practising for, that we are living for: to be here and to enjoy this atmosphere, to play great tennis and for the spectators to enjoy,” Rublev said in an on-court interview. “[All] I could do my best today, I did and I’m really happy.”
“When you serve good, it’s always the key,” Rublev said. “But it was not even just the serve. I was returning really aggressive, from the baseline I was also really aggressive. Today I played a great match and I’m really happy.”Â
