ATP Finals: Sinner beats Medvedev to knock Russian out of contention, Fritz through
The Russian needed a straight sets win to qualify, and was unable to do so. The result means Fritz is also through to the last four
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Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev 6-3 6-4 at the ATP Finals, meaning that the Italian and Taylor Fritz advance to the semi-finals as the top two players of the Ilie Nastase Group.
The Russian needed a straight sets win to advance to the last four, with the Italian having already secured his win due to prior matches.
The first set was largely served-dominated, with neither player losing two or more points on serve until 3-2 where Medvedev faced two break points, ultimately saving both and holding thanks to a few unforced errors from the Italian. However, lightning wouldn’t strike twice in the Russian’s next service game, with Sinner utilising his superior power and pace to break for 5-3, before serving out the set to love with superb spot serving.
In the second set, the Italian continued his march towards the finish line, breaking at 1-1 with back-to-back thunderous groundstrokes – drawing audible gasps from the crowd. When all looked secure, and with Sinner cruising, it was Medvedev who started to push a little harder, and extend the rallies further. The tactic proved fruitful, breaking back for 3-3 in the set. Despite being qualified, Sinner was not going to go down easily in the second set, breaking on his first opportunity ay 4-4, before serving out the match, 6-4 in the second.
During his on-court interview, the Italian stated that having his semi-final place secured earlier in the day did not affect him:
“I’m here trying to find new ways to improve as a player, I’m here trying to win as many matches as I can. Me and Daniil know each other well, so every time we step on court we try to change something tactically. I felt like today I was ready to see what he was going to do, and then we’ll see what’s coming in the next round, and the next time I play Daniil again.”
Sinner is defending finalist points from last year’s edition, and it will take a supreme performance to stop him from righting the wrongs of 12 months ago at the Inalpi Arena.
Ilie Nastase Group:
- Jannik Sinner – 3 wins 0 losses
- Taylor Fritz – 2 wins 1 loss
- Daniil Medvedev – 1 win 2 losses
- Alex de Minaur – 0 wins – 3 losses
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