Medvedev crushes Zverev to set up final against Djokovic in Paris
The Russian quickly shrugged off the disappointment of not being able to finish the year as world No 1, dropping just four games against the Olympic champion
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Paris Masters – Accor Arena, Paris, France – November 6, 2021 Russia’s Daniil Medvedev celebrates after winning his semi-final match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev || 211881_0047
ATP1000 Paris | Draw | Schedule | Semi-finals
If one of the marks of a champion is how they deal with adversity and disappointment, then Daniil Medvedev has a champion’s mentality in spades.
Having lost his albeit outside hopes of becoming world No 1 at the end of the year when Novak Djokovic reached the Paris Masters final, the defending champion duly obliterated Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-2 to set up a final against the Serb, a repeat of their US Open final, which Medvedev won.
Zverev had lost just twice since Wimbledon, winning Olympic gold and adding titles in Cincinnati and last week in Vienna, while Medvedev had struggled in his quarter-final win over Hugo Gaston, complaining afterwards that the courts in the Accor Arena in Bercy were too slow.
But Medvedev, who had won their last five battles – having lost the first four – was in commanding mood right from the off. Once he’d saved an early break point, he was totally dominant and the only surprise was that it took Zverev until early in the second set, after he’d been broken for 2-1, for the German to smash his racquet in frustration.
Medvedev extended his lead to 5-2 and then closed out the match in fine style to set up another clash with Djokovic, who earlier beat Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (5) to secure the season-ending world No 1 ranking for a record seventh time.
Medvedev and Zverev may well meet again this month at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin but the one-sided nature of the match does not bode well for the German if they do.
The Russian made just eight unforced errors to Zverev’s 35 while in the rallies between five and nine shots, Medvedev dominated 20 to 5 while he was almost as dominant in rallies of over nine shots, winning 18 to nine for Zverev.
Zverev’s last win over Medvedev came in the Nitto ATP Finals in 2019.
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