Russian Daniil Medvedev, world No.3, qualified for the semi-finals of the ATP Masters by beating German Alexander Zverev (7th), 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 on Wednesday in Turin.
Beaten last year in the groups, Medvedev is the first to qualify for the last four. The 2020 Masters winner needed a straight-sets victory. Contract fulfilled at the end of a match where he was however shaken up.
“It was a very difficult match mentally,” Medvedev analyzed courtside (…) “I have lost matches like that this season. I’m happy to have been able to win tonight.”
Double winner of the event (2018, 2021) and defeater of Alcaraz in the first match, Zverev will play his future in the tournament against the Russian Andrey Rublev, beaten earlier by the Spaniard and already eliminated.
Close to winning the first round, the German may have some regrets. During the deciding game, he first raced into the lead 4-1 before committing several gross errors and wasting two set points. Just one was enough for Medvedev 7-6 (9/7), although his opponent was more impressive in this set.
Solid on their play during the second round, the two players remained neck and neck 4-4. Zverev did have a break point, but his cross-court backhand was too forceful and ended up in the corridor. Annoyed, the German broke down at the end of the match (6-4), accumulating unforced errors, to let the Russian slip towards the final victory.