Their head-to-head was poised at five wins each coming into the crucial Red Group clash of the Nitto ATP Finals, it suggested a tight, tense rivalry between the number two and three ranked players in the world.
Only that Daniil Medvedev had won their last four encounters. In their previous meeting in Paris, earlier in November, Alexander Zverev, the younger by a year and ranked a slot below the Russian, managed just four games.
At Turin’s Pala Alpitour, Medvedev, whose tennis along with his temperament rode a 2-hour 36-minute roller-coaster, rallied from 2-4 down in the deciding tie-break to pull of a 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (8-6) win -- his fifth successive victory over Zverev.
“Every match (against Sascha) was different, some were very tough, he was up a set and a break and got a little injured,” Medvedev said of his run against the German. “Against these kind of players, in the top-five, even if you win 10 matches in a row, you can still go and lose the next five.”
The defending champion, who saved all four breakpoints he faced in the encounter, now heads the Red Group, having won both his matches.
“Definitely one of the matches to remember,” said Medvedev, who closed out on his third match point. “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, it’s back to 6-6, you get really tight, because I wanted to make a brave move on the 6-5, 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. Just an amazing feeling. Not actually much to say about the match, just amazing.”
The first four games of the match had so many twists and turns that it resembled a snakes and ladders chase.
Medvedev, who didn’t face breakpoints in his opening match against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, went down 15-40 in his opening service game, but some strong serving bailed him out. The second seed then broke in the second game after the German led 30-0. Zverev double faulted at 30-30 to throw open the door and Medvedev closed with a forehand volley that followed a deliciously edgy backhand pick-up. The 25-year-old staved off another breakpoint in the third game before serving out the set.
Medvedev, who appeared to be running away with it, had two chances to break Zverev in the opening game of the second set. The world No.2 wasn’t pleased with his output and let it show. Then at 0-30 in the ninth game, he allowed his opponent off the hook with two careless forehands which gave the German a heads-up and he responded like the world’s third-ranked player would. A foot fault call early in the tie-break didn’t help Medvedev as Zverev levelled set scores.
Rublev tops Tsitsipas
Andrey Rublev served his way to a telling 6-4, 6-4 win over the fourth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas late on Monday to kick-off his campaign in the Green Group.
The Russian, who had lost five of his past seven matches, dropped just four points on his first serve and didn’t face a breakpoint as he came through in an hour and 31 minutes.
