Daniil Medvedev seals top ten return ahead of Sinner showdown
Former world No 1 Daniil Medvedev ensured that he will return to the top ten of the ATP Rankings next week after clinching a place in the Rotterdam Open final where he will meet Jannik Sinner.
Medvedev picked apart Grigor Dimitrov for a 6-1, 6-2 victory in 82 minutes.
Sinner meanwhile was imperious on serve as he downed a spirited Tallon Griekspoor to reach his second straight ATP Tour final.
Apart from a blip early in the second set which saw Dimitrov threaten to take charge of the stanza, Medvedev was in good shape throughout.
“It was an amazing match,” said Medvedev afterwards. “The score [looks] easy, but the match was not. I felt physically like I was playing five sets. [There were] some amazing rallies. It was 2-2, 0/40 for him in the second [set], so [I am happy] to manage to win it 6-2, just raise my level a little bit on serve and manage to keep consistent… He made a few more errors than he needed to make, and I’m happy with my level.”
Medvedev said that the Rotterdam Open had a rich legacy and he hoped to be able to add his name to the winner’s list.
“It would be amazing [to win here],” he said.
“Every time I come here, and I think it is my fifth time here, everywhere there are photos of the winners and their names.
“I don’t remember who won it first time, but then Arthur Ashe won it [twice]. Then [others including] McEnroe, Borg, Edberg, and I’m like ‘Well, that tournament has a history for sure’. To add my name there would be amazing, but for this I need to play well in the final.”
Despite not being pushed to a break point, Sinner admitted that his Dutch opponent kept him on the the hop.
“I felt a lot of pressure today,” acknowledged Sinner.
“I’m very happy with how I handled it, it was not easy from my side. I tried to play aggressive tennis. Sometimes I managed to do it, sometimes not, but this is part of the game.
“I’m very happy with how I played the tie-break also… [I’m] very happy to be again in a final, and tomorrow is obviously going to be a tough, tough challenge.”
Sinner face a huge test of his current winning streak when he takes on Medvedev, whose defence ranks among the best on the tour.
“He is very solid, he serves well,” said Sinner.
“To break him is very tough, and I need to serve very carefully and very bravely. I will have a chat with my team, and hopefully I can improve on the past meetings.”
Sinner and Medvedev will clash from 12:30 (GMT) on Sunday 19 February 2023.
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