Medvedev loses thriller as ATP Finals hopes ended
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev has been eliminated from the ATP Finals after suffering defeat against Greek rival Stefanos Tsitsipas in a scintillating contest in Turin on Wednesday night.
Bidding to keep his hopes alive of reaching the semifinals, Medvedev appeared on course for a comeback victory when he led 5-3 in the third set, before Tsitsipas stormed back to win a decisive tiebreak.
The contest finished 6-3 6-7 (11-13) 7-6 (7-1) in favor of the Greek, in a battle spanning two hours and 21 minutes at the Pala Alpitour.
The defeat for Medvedev follows a loss to countryman Andrey Rublev in their opening round-robin match, and means he cannot progress from the group stage to the last four at the season-ending tournament.
Tsitsipas will next meet Rublev in their final round-robin match on Friday, in a winner-takes-all contest to determine which of the pair move into the semifinals.
Group rival Novak Djokovic secured his semifinal place with victory over Rublev on Wednesday, building on an opening win for the Serb against Tsitsipas.
Wednesday’s installment between Tsitsipas and Medvedev was the latest in a long-running rivalry which has at times spilled over into open hostility.
In Turin it was Tsitsipas who eventually earned bragging rights, but it was a back-and-forth battle in which both men put themselves on the brink of victory.
Tsitsipas initially seized the initiative, winning the first set and engineering three match points in the second set, only for Medvedev to drag himself back into contention by clinching an epic tiebreak.
Tsitsipas mounted a comeback of his own in set three, overturning a 3-5 deficit before dominating the decisive tiebreak.
Medvedev, who enjoyed 16 weeks in the world number one spot throughout the year, subsequently saw his chances of capturing a title he won in 2020 come to an end.
“[It was] terrible to not serve it out, especially on such a fast court,” said a disappointed Medvedev at his post-match press conference.
“I lost my [serve] in the first game of the match, which is never good, but can happen. You need some time to get into the match.
“Then I didn't face a break point until I got a break in the third [set]. I didn’t really feel much nerves. I just had to play better and serve better.”
Medvedev, 26, plays Djokovic in their final ‘Red Group’ match on Friday, knowing that the fate of both men is already determined in terms of reaching the knockout stage.
Tsitsipas, 24, won the ATP Finals in London in 2019 and will head into his contest with Rublev knowing that the winner will keep their chances alive of title glory in 2022.
In the tournament’s ‘Green Group’, Casper Ruud is already assured of a place in the semifinals, and the Norwegian meets the already-eliminated Rafael Nadal in their final round-robin match on Thursday.
Elsewhere, Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime will battle it out for the remaining berth in the semifinals from their group.
