Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev showed this Thursday the reasons for being the world number 2, in addition to being the current US Open champion and one of the big favorites of the Australian Open, first Grand Slam of the year which will start the 17th He led his team against Italy and won both matches he played, in singles and doubles, to secure qualification for the semi-finals of the ATP Cup, competition between countries organized in Sydney, Australia.
In the first game of the confrontation, Jannik Sinner affirmed his favoritism and beat Roman Safiullin in straight sets, with partials of 7/6 (8/6) and 6/3. Medvedev then entered the pitch under pressure against Matteo Berrettini, needing the win to keep Russia’s chances alive. With difficulty, he managed to triumph and beat his Italian rival in three sets, scoring the final score of 6/2, 6/7 (5/7) and 6/4.
“I managed to control the game in the first set. Only it’s complicated because you think things are going to go the way you want, but that’s not the case when you’re up against a Top player. 10. I made some bad decisions in the second so I tried to learn from that in the third. I served well throughout the game and it helped me, “said Medvedev.
The four who played in singles returned to the field to decide the game between the two. Berrettini and Sinner took the lead and won the first set, but Medvedev led the partnership with Safiullin to the turnaround, triumphing with partials of 5/7, 6/4 and 10-4 in the tie-break of the match and guaranteeing a place in Group B in the semi-finals.
The last place in the decisive phase of the ATP Cup went to Canada, which finished first in Group C after a favorable combination of results on Thursday. After Great Britain’s victory over the United States early in the round, the Canadians entered the field needing to beat the already eliminated Germany to advance.
The country’s top players Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime won tough matches and qualified the Canadian squad to face Russia on Saturday. The other semi-final will be played this Friday between Spain and Poland, who had secured their places on Wednesday.
The opening of the clash took place between the number 2 of each country. Shapovalov defeated Jan-Lennard Struff by 7/6 (7/5), 4/6 and 6/3. Soon after, it was Aliasime’s turn to face world number 3 Alexander Zverev, who also had an advantage in clash history. But the 21-year-old Canadian, 11th in the standings, managed a difficult victory by 6/4, 4/6 and 6/3.
“Coffeeaholic. Lifelong alcohol fanatic. Typical travel expert. Prone to fits of apathy. Internet trailblazer.”