Summer may be over, but the battles on tour continue to rage for DC's brightest stars, as the race to the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals and Shiseido WTA Finals tighten up.
Russian world No.4 and 2019 Citi Open finalist Daniil Medvedev secured his madien appearance at the year-end championships in London next month during his sensational run to the US Open singles final in New York, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
The 23-year-old superstar is rapidly closing in on the world No.1 ranking!
This past weekend, the 23-year-old, Russian superstar dispatched German world No.6 and two-time Citi Open champion Alexander Zverev, 6-4, 6-1, to win the 2019 Rolex Shanghai Masters without dropping a set, scoring his second-consecutive Masters 1000 crown and fourth ATP title this year.
"This one is amazing," said Medvedev, "because Shanghai, I think, is one of the most prestigious Masters on the tour. Especially in the past 10 years, there were only three players who managed to win this one, so it’s really special to have my photo in the corridor over the next many years."
Since his arrival in DC this summer, Medvedev's game has surged. The Russian has now reached the championship match in each of his six, most recent events, and currently holds a 59-17 winning record, including 46 hard-court wins and 22 Masters 1000 victories, more than any other player on the ATP Tour this season.
"Everybody is talking that they need new guys, something new," said Medvedev, "so I gave them something new."
Medvedev’s path to victory in Shanghai included a pivotal win over Greek world No.5 and 2019 Citi Open semifinalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in one of his toughest tests of the tournament.
Tsitsipas stunned Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, outsing the world No.1 in a surprise comeback, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, to record the biggest match win of his career and clinch his first Nitto ATP Finals appearance.
“It's the best comeback that I have ever had, probably,” said Tsitsipas.
But in the semifinals, Medvedev had the mental edge, leading the 2018 Next-Gen champion, 4-0, in their career head-to-head and riding a wave of momentum. In the decisive moments of the match, the Russian rose to the occasion, edging Tsitsipas once more, 7-6(5), 7-5, to advance to the final.
After the clash with Tsitsipas, the final against Zverev seemed anticlimactic. Progressively stepping up his game at each crucial stage of the match, Medvedev saved five of six breakpoints and pressured the former Citi Open champ to self-destruct.
Medvedev got the upper hand early. After fighting back from a 0-3 deficit in the opening set, Zverev served up back-to-back double faults at 4-5 to give the world No.4 a set lead. Medvedev thanked him for the gift by winning the next five games and clinching the title on his first championship point with his fourth ace of the match.
“Daniil is somebody that plays a way that we have never seen before,” said Zverev after the match. “Maybe he doesn't do huge winners or jumping forehands or anything like that, but he plays a style that we have never seen before...He plays very flat...with shots that you can't really do anything with...and that is difficult to play against.
“Sometimes that's maybe why it looks on TV, or from the outside that players are not playing as aggressive against him as against others,” Zverev added, "but I feel like he doesn't let you.
Washington tennis fans have seen Medvedev work his magic up close. They witnessed his breakthrough this summer at the Citi Open in Rock Creek Park.
After a disappointing third-round exit at Wimbledon, where he led Belgian David Goffin two sets to one, the Russian turned his fortune around in DC, winning four matches in straight sets — including a victory over former world No.3 Marin Cilic — to reach the final. In the championship match, Medvedev fell short in two tie-breaks against the ever dangerous Nick Kyrgios, but was able to build on the breakthrough in leaps and bounds.
Medvedev went on to reach the final of the Rogers Cup in Montreal, where he lost to world No.2 Rafael Nadal, then won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati, defeating Djokovic and avenging his Wimbledon loss to Goffin in the final. In fact, the only player Medvedev has lost to since Kyrgios in DC has been Nadal, who beat him again in five, bruising sets in the US Open final. Immediately after, the Russian won his hometown tournament, the St. Petersburg Open, and now the Shanghai Masters - without losing a set!
"I would not believe it," said Medvedev, if someone foreshadowed this sensational run to him a few months ago. "It’s something outrageous that I’ve done in the past few months and I have been working for it. But it is how it is. I just take it and hope I’m going to do much more."
After his win in Shanghai, the Russian has vaulted ahead of world No. 3 Roger Federer in the ATP Race to London to No.2, behind Djokovic, who leads the pack with 7,945 ATP ranking points. Medvedev now has 5,875 points, a 185 point lead over the 20-time Grand Slam Swiss champion (5,690), with one more Masters tournament left (Paris) before the ATP Finals in November.
Summer may be over, but the battles on tour continue to rage for DC's brightest stars, as the race to the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals and Shiseido WTA Finals tighten up.
Russian world No.4 and 2019 Citi Open finalist Daniil Medvedev secured his madien appearance at the year-end championships in London next month during his sensational run to the US Open singles final in New York, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
The 23-year-old superstar is rapidly closing in on the world No.1 ranking!
This past weekend, the 23-year-old, Russian superstar dispatched German world No.6 and two-time Citi Open champion Alexander Zverev, 6-4, 6-1, to win the 2019 Rolex Shanghai Masters without dropping a set, scoring his second-consecutive Masters 1000 crown and fourth ATP title this year.
"This one is amazing," said Medvedev, "because Shanghai, I think, is one of the most prestigious Masters on the tour. Especially in the past 10 years, there were only three players who managed to win this one, so it’s really special to have my photo in the corridor over the next many years."
Since his arrival in DC this summer, Medvedev's game has surged. The Russian has now reached the championship match in each of his six, most recent events, and currently holds a 59-17 winning record, including 46 hard-court wins and 22 Masters 1000 victories, more than any other player on the ATP Tour this season.
"Everybody is talking that they need new guys, something new," said Medvedev, "so I gave them something new."
Medvedev’s path to victory in Shanghai included a pivotal win over Greek world No.5 and 2019 Citi Open semifinalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in one of his toughest tests of the tournament.
Tsitsipas stunned Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, outsing the world No.1 in a surprise comeback, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, to record the biggest match win of his career and clinch his first Nitto ATP Finals appearance.
“It's the best comeback that I have ever had, probably,” said Tsitsipas.
But in the semifinals, Medvedev had the mental edge, leading the 2018 Next-Gen champion, 4-0, in their career head-to-head and riding a wave of momentum. In the decisive moments of the match, the Russian rose to the occasion, edging Tsitsipas once more, 7-6(5), 7-5, to advance to the final.
After the clash with Tsitsipas, the final against Zverev seemed anticlimactic. Progressively stepping up his game at each crucial stage of the match, Medvedev saved five of six breakpoints and pressured the former Citi Open champ to self-destruct.
Medvedev got the upper hand early. After fighting back from a 0-3 deficit in the opening set, Zverev served up back-to-back double faults at 4-5 to give the world No.4 a set lead. Medvedev thanked him for the gift by winning the next five games and clinching the title on his first championship point with his fourth ace of the match.
“Daniil is somebody that plays a way that we have never seen before,” said Zverev after the match. “Maybe he doesn't do huge winners or jumping forehands or anything like that, but he plays a style that we have never seen before...He plays very flat...with shots that you can't really do anything with...and that is difficult to play against.
“Sometimes that's maybe why it looks on TV, or from the outside that players are not playing as aggressive against him as against others,” Zverev added, "but I feel like he doesn't let you.
Washington tennis fans have seen Medvedev work his magic up close. They witnessed his breakthrough this summer at the Citi Open in Rock Creek Park.
After a disappointing third-round exit at Wimbledon, where he led Belgian David Goffin two sets to one, the Russian turned his fortune around in DC, winning four matches in straight sets — including a victory over former world No.3 Marin Cilic — to reach the final. In the championship match, Medvedev fell short in two tie-breaks against the ever dangerous Nick Kyrgios, but was able to build on the breakthrough in leaps and bounds.
Medvedev went on to reach the final of the Rogers Cup in Montreal, where he lost to world No.2 Rafael Nadal, then won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati, defeating Djokovic and avenging his Wimbledon loss to Goffin in the final. In fact, the only player Medvedev has lost to since Kyrgios in DC has been Nadal, who beat him again in five, bruising sets in the US Open final. Immediately after, the Russian won his hometown tournament, the St. Petersburg Open, and now the Shanghai Masters - without losing a set!
"I would not believe it," said Medvedev, if someone foreshadowed this sensational run to him a few months ago. "It’s something outrageous that I’ve done in the past few months and I have been working for it. But it is how it is. I just take it and hope I’m going to do much more."
After his win in Shanghai, the Russian has vaulted ahead of world No. 3 Roger Federer in the ATP Race to London to No.2, behind Djokovic, who leads the pack with 7,945 ATP ranking points. Medvedev now has 5,875 points, a 185 point lead over the 20-time Grand Slam Swiss champion (5,690), with one more Masters tournament left (Paris) before the ATP Finals in November.