Daniil Medvedev could be the first in the group to secure access to the semi-finals of the ATP Final Tournament in Turin.

Considering the difficulties faced by tournament favorites Alcaraz and Djokovic, who have already lost once each, a second victory in a row for Daniil would be an excellent result. And the pleasant statistics of meetings with German Alexander Zverev this year put the fans in a positive mood.

Zverev played better than the Russian, but this was not enough to win.

Convenient opponent

It’s hard to believe, but on the professional tour, Zverev and Medvedev played as many as 17 times before Turin: the Russian was stronger 10 times, and the German representative won another seven matches. But after Sasha recovered from the injury received at Roland Garros in 2022, the Russian’s advantage is undeniable. Medvedev has won four of five meetings against Zverev this season.

But, on the other hand, Zverev is the winner of the previous ATP Finals tournament in which he participated. Moreover, in the final of 2021 he defeated Medvedev. Therefore, a successful start, symbolized by the victory over Alcaraz, once again convinced of the German’s ability to win any match in the tournament.

Daniil Medvedev / Photo: © Valerio Pennicino / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Perhaps this success affected Sasha in a negative way. The German seemed to have forgotten to go to the match and immediately gave Dana the lead with a score of 2:0. Then, however, he slowly came to his senses, took back his serve with some difficulty, and in the sixth game he got a chance to return the favor. And although Sasha did not convert the first two break points, he managed to squeeze the situation in his favor – 3:3.

Crucial moment

After the reverse break, Zverev’s uncertainty completely disappeared. He powerfully shot our player with his serves, worked effectively at the net and stopped making unforced errors.

Now the game had finally leveled off, but the psychological advantage was already on the side of Medvedev’s opponent. Danya did not make the most of Zverev’s broken state in the opening games of the match, so the set naturally went into a tiebreaker.

Daniil Medvedev / Photo: © Tullio Puglia / Contributor/ Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

In the 13th game, Zverev made a mini-break on the move, but the main episode of the tie-break was the German’s inexplicable mistake when approaching the net with the score 4:1 in his favor. If he had hit, he would have led 5:1, but he missed. Alexander also screwed up the first set point, although he had an excellent position to attack, and then did not convert another one and lost the set – 6:7 (7:9).

Too easy

The Russian took the first game despite the way the tiebreak was going, but this did not in any way affect the German’s mood. Yes, Zverev went to the tribune room to think about what had happened, but came out calm for the second set.

The beginning of the second game turned out to be measured and uneventful, and the most striking moment was Alexander’s failed tweener after the end of the rally. Zverev decided to react to Dani’s out with a spectacular shot between the legs, but missed, which caused laughter in the stands.

The first resonant game action happened only in the ninth game, when, with the score 4:4, Medvedev made a mistake on a shortened shot and gave Zverev a chance to break. But Danya, like a skilled tormentor, first gave hope and then took it away in cold blood. For the first time in the match, Zverev could not restrain himself and shouted at the entire stadium in frustration.

Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev / Photo: © Clive Brunskill / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

This episode affected the German’s confidence. At the most crucial moment, losing 4:5, Alexander for the first time in the second game experienced difficulties in a game that was not his own serve. And our tennis player masterfully took advantage of this. Surprisingly, one match point was enough for Medvedev – 7:6 (9:7), 6:4. The match ended unexpectedly abruptly and quickly.

The Russian won again at the ATP Finals without losing a set and secured his place in the semi-finals. To reach this stage, Zverev needs not only his own victory over Andrei Rublev, but also Medvedev’s success in the match with Alcaraz. Therefore, Sasha admitted that on Friday he would be Daniil’s main fan.