With No 1 ranking locked in, Medvedev gets a shot at avenging Nadal loss in Acapulco semis
Daniil Medvedev beats Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets in his first match as the incoming No 1 in men’s tennis. Up next for the Russian is a rematch of the Australian Open final against Nadal
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev celebrates winning his quarter final match against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in Acapulco
Image Credit: AI / Reuters / Panoramic
ATP 500 Acapulco | Results | Schedule
With confirmation that he was going to be the new world No 1 in men’s tennis on Monday before he took to the court, Daniil Mevedev did not let the hoopla be a distraction. The Russian eased into the semi-finals of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel Open on Thursday evening.
Medvedev was assured of becoming the 27th man to become world No 1 when Novak Djokovic lost his quarter-final match in Dubai and the 25-year-old played up to his role, beating Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-3 to reach the last four.
The Russian hit 12 aces and won six of eight break point opportunities in the match, winning 53 points in total as compared to 37 for his opponent, who had come through the qualifying draw here.
Medvedev admitted that it was not easy playing a match after getting the news of No 1 coronation next week but added that he is focused on winning the tournament for now.
“It’s not easy to play a match when you get this news during the day,” said Medvedev, as quoted by the ATP Tour. “The first goal for me was to still win today because I’m here to try to win every match I play. But it’s definitely some great news.”
“Kind of a chance to get my revenge” – Medvedev looks ahead to Nadal clash
Medvedev is now 12-2 for the season and will meet Rafael Nadal in a repeat of their epic Australian Open final, which the Spaniard won after coming from two sets to love down.
Nadal defeated American Tommy Paul 6-0, 7-6 in the late evening match in Acapulco. The Russian says he will be hoping to avenge his loss in Melbourne.
“It’s always special to play against him (Rafa),” Medvedev said. “Kind of a chance to get my revenge. I have to learn from the best, which is him, Roger, Novak, Andy. Always when they were losing a tough fight, they were trying to get their revenge. Sometimes they managed to do it, sometimes not. That’s what I’m going to try to do if I play Rafa.”
Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas also reached the semi-finals, beating American Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-4 and will meet sixth seed Cameron Norrie, who beat lucky loser Peter Gojowczyk 6-1, 6-0 to record his seventh win in a row on the tour.
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