Medvedev Finds His Way In Turin, Beats Zverev To Reach Last Four At Nitto ATP Finals

Daniil Medvedev, ATP Finals, Turin
Daniil Medvedev (photo: Giampiero Sposito/FITP)

TURIN/WASHINGTON, November 16, 2023 (by Michael Dickens)

Daniil Medvedev has become a familiar figure in Nitto ATP Finals circles, first in London and now in Turin. After all, he’s making his fifth consecutive year-end appearance. When he’s previously won his opening match, he went on to reach the final both times, capturing the title in 2020 and reaching the final in 2021.

After breaking the spirit of his close friend and fellow Russian, World No. 5 Andrey Rublev, in straight sets on Monday evening, Medvedev returned to the Pala Alpitour on Wednesday evening and beat two-time champion Alexander Zverev, also in straight sets, 7-6 (7), 6-4. He kept his rallies short and focused and was rewarded with advancement to this weekend’s semifinal round with a chance of making it to another final. Medvedev is the first player from either singles group to move into the last four.

“It was a very tough match mentally,” the World No. 3 Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “I started very well; I was playing well. He was kind of not there yet, but at one moment he stepped up his game and at this moment, for whatever reason, I started playing a little bit worse for a short period of time.

“I’m happy that I managed to regroup and play better at the end of the first set. The end of both sets was very tight. … In the tie-break he had set point on his serve. I’m happy because this year I might have lost some matches like this. I’m happy to be able to win.”

Medvedev downed the World No. 7 from Germany for the fifth time this season in six meetings and now leads their career head-to-head 11-7 (including 3-2 at the Nitto ATP Finals). The tall, lanky Moscow native leads the ATP Tour this season with nine finals reached (going 5-4), and his 66 overall victories – including 49 on hard courts – are both tour-leading figures.

From 6-7 down, after saving two points in a first-set tie-breaker, Medvedev scored the final three points to pull it out 9-7 and win the first set. He hit a forehand pass up the line that Zverev was unable to get a racquet on to win the tight, tense 63-minute opening set.

Then, on serve through the first eight games of the second set, Medvedev saved a break point and held to go ahead 5-4, after hitting a backhand winner that stunned Zverev. Soon, Medvedev set up match point with another backhand winner up the line that left the seventh-seeded German vulnerable. Finally, he closed out the one-hour, 45-minute victory on the next point after Zverev air-mailed a third-shot forehand return long to punch his ticket to the semifinals.

As Zverev explained in his post-match press conference: “Yeah, it was frustrating at times because obviously not winning the first set is very crucial. It’s also very crucial in mathematics to go through because I feel like I’m playing well. Now it’s a little bit also out of my hands again. If Alcaraz wins, then he’s through.

“It’s frustrating because I think the tennis that I played maybe deserved more than losing in straight sets in a way.

“Also, again, if I don’t qualify, then I don’t have anybody to blame. It’s kind of my fault.”

On Friday afternoon, Medvedev (2-0) will face Carlos Alcaraz of Spain (1-1), who beat Rublev 7-5, 6-2, Wednesday afternoon to remain in contention in the Red Group. Meanwhile, Zverev (1-1), who won year-end titles in 2018 and 2021, will play Rublev (0-2) Friday evening and must win to have a realistic chance to advance.

“I saw his match today against Andrey and he played much better than in the first match,” Medvedev said of Alcaraz. “He was missing less, doing amazing winners from far out like he can. I hope that I feel good tomorrow and I’m ready to fight. This tournament is tricky, because I’m into the semis, but you want to keep the rhythm.”

Around the Pala Alpitour

Defending Nitto ATP Finals champions Rajeev Ram of the United States and Joe Salisbury qualified for this year’s semifinals from the Red Group after defeating No. 2 seeds Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands and Neal Skupski of Great Britain, 6-3, 3-6, 10-7, in 83 minutes Wednesday evening. It was their fourth straight win over the Dutch/British pair and first since beating them in last year’s Turin semifinals.

The No. 6 seeds and three-time US Open champs Ram and Salisbury strung together five straight points during the match tie-break to turn a 5-3 deficit into an 8-5 lead against the reigning Wimbledon titlists. Then, after Salisbury poached a forehand volley winner at the net to set up match point, Ram wrapped up the win with his team’s sixth ace straight up the middle. It provided them with their seventh straight Turin victory, including two at this year’s event. Ram and Salisbury are now 34-18 for the season, while Koolhof and Skupski fell to 45-21.

Ram, 39, and Salisbury, 31, who have been fixtures at the Nitto ATP Finals across five appearances, are 14-5 lifetime at the year-end tournament. Before last year’s title run, they reached the finals in 2021.

Ram and Salisbury (2-0) needed only to beat Koolhof and Skupski after India’s Rohan Bopanna and Australia’s Matthew Ebden (1-1) eliminated Australia’s Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler (0-2), 6-4, 6-4, earlier Wednesday to advance to the semifinal round. The American/British duo complete Red Group play on Friday against Hijikata and Kubler, while Koolhof and Skupski face Bopanna and Ebden.

By the numbers

Carlos Alcaraz is one of seven players in this year’s Nitto ATP Finals field who has played at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. The others are: Hubert Hurkacz, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Alcaraz won the 2021 title by defeating Sebastian Korda in the final.

“Quotable …”

“Well, after this win, everything has changed in my mind. I’m going to prepare the match the same way that I did today. I will try to show my best and I will try to beat Medvedev.

“The last match he beat me, playing a high level. I will try to take that match in the US Open and I will try to be better. I’m going to take the positive things and the negative things about this match, and I’ll try to do it as best as I can on Friday.

“I’m not thinking about the vacations right now. I’m thinking to do my best and try to classify into the semifinal in this amazing tournament.”

— Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, during his post-match press conference Wednesday, after defeating Andrey Rublev to improve to 2-0 in group play and looking ahead to his next match against Daniil Medvedev.

 

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