Daniil Medvedev ends ATP Finals losing streak to defeat Alexander Zverev

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Eight days on from his last win over Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev pulled off the same result to make amends for a difficult debut at the ATP Finals last year.

Twelve months ago, the Russian lost all three of his round-robin matches, the same fate to have befallen Novak Djokovic on debut before picking up five titles in the end-of-season finale.

Whether Medvedev can aspire for the title on Sunday remains to be seen after coming through a brutal opening set before rounding out a 6-3, 6-4 win.

At last week’s Paris Masters, it had required three sets for the 24-year-old – a year older than his opponent – this time he needed just a solitary break in each set.

The first break came in game six of the opening set as the Zverev second serve, the greatest weakness of his hard-hitting game, once again capitulated. It gave Medvedev a 4-2 lead and he took the set three games later as his German opponent ended it with two double faults.

It was a brutal onslaught from the back of the court from both men, their punishing rallies leaving them breathless in a contest between two of the leading lights of the next generation of men’s tennis.

Watched by their peers Dominic Thiem and Andrey Rublev, also hoping to lay claim as successors to tennis’ big three, in the otherwise empty stands it became increasingly clear Medvedev was in the ascendancy.

In the second set, his break opportunity came in game seven, which he converted as Zverev limply hit the ball into the net after which Medvedev never looked likely to lose.

The No4 seed helped to dilute the Zverev threat with an underarm serve in the subsequent game with his opponent deep behind the baseline.

Of that serve, Medvedev said: “I didn’t want to disrespect him. I was I’m going for the T but saw he was five metres from the baseline so I just went for it. I’m happy that it worked.”

Of the wider contest, he added: “The intensity of the match was one of the most I had in my career.”

 

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