Daniil Medvedev takes out Alex de Minaur to open an account in Turin | ATP Tour
Matching Report
Medvedev outfoxes De Minaur to open an account in Turin
The fourth seed is looking for a first home win since the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals
November 12, 2024
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Daniil Medvedev claims his first win at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals.
Written by Jerome Coombe
Daniil Medvedev once again revealed his credentials as one of the Tour's sharpest strategists on Tuesday at the Nitto ATP Finals.
The fourth seed produced a smartly measured performance to win 6-2, 6-4 over Alex de Minaur and get back on track at the end of the season. Medvedev, the 2020 champion, had all the answers in a chess-like battle to improve to 7-3 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head tournament.
👉😆👈
The old one @DaniilMedwed 😅#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/tfEhrYRmQ7
– ATP Tour (@atptour) November 12, 2024
Medvedev looked to have changed from a disorganized player who fell to a straight sets loss to Taylor Fritz in his opening match. In his match with De Minaur, he did not face a single break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and outscored his opponent 24 winners to 10.
“I went into this match blocking out the noise, even for myself,” said Medvedev, who is now playing in the Nitto ATP Finals for the sixth time in a row. “I didn't really care about what was happening on the field, I just tried to play, it was a good feeling. Sometimes it's good to block it [the noise]and I did that well today.
“After the last match, I was mentally tired to fight the way I usually fight. [So,] I got into the game [today] just trying to hit the gun, even thinking about next year. What will work well today and what won't. It worked well, so I agree with it.”
In a match that contrasted well with his first match against Fritz, Medvedev was brutal on the attack as the match progressed. The 28-year-old was particularly fired up in the opening set, where he effectively limited the Australian's ability to take a hand, winning 20 of 31 points.
The second set was evenly contested, but Medvedev survived in a crucial ninth game to complete his first Top 10 win on hard courts since March.
Read more about the Vogue photo here (Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour)
Medvedev's 78-minute victory means Taylor Fritz can reach the semi-finals if he beats the World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in their Tuesday evening game. Medvedev will be looking to strengthen his hopes of advancing to the John Newcombe Group when he faces Italy on Thursday.
The defeat dented De Minaur's hopes of reaching the knockout stage on his debut in Turin. The 25-year-old, who will face Fritz in his final round-robin game, is now 0-2 on the team.
