Recruited Daniil Medvedev quelled Frances Tiafoe’s late surge by beating the American 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) on Saturday to advance to the Indian Wells final for the first time.
Medvedev, who finished sixth after three weeks off the ATP titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, has extended his winning streak to 19 matches and is waiting for the winner of another semi-final between Spain’s top seed Carlos Alcaraz and the 13th seed. Italian Yannick Sinner.
Alcaraz, 19, and 21-year-old Sinner were 2-2 up in their previous four meetings, but it was Alcaraz who came out on top in their most dramatic clash, a five-set US Open quarter-final that lasted five hours and 15 minutes, that’s 2 :50 am, the last in the history of the US Open.
Alcaraz lifted the trophy and became the youngest world number one in the history of the rankings.
Medvedev, who had never gone past the fourth round in a combined WTA/ATP Masters 1000 event in the California desert, was in control for most of the one-hour and 46-minute event.
But it took him eight match points to beat 16th-place Tiafoe and finally secure the victory with his ninth ace of the day.
“It was crazy at the end,” Medvedev said. “I got very tight. I would say that (after) 6-5, 40-0, I think I got tight on a deuce when I thought, “Oh my God, so many missed opportunities. This might not have gone well. for me.’
“The ace was a relief,” he added. “I’m just really happy that I managed not to lose this match.”
Medvedev, who showed no signs of trouble with his right ankle, which he sprained during a fourth-round win over Alexander Zverev, was the epitome of patience as he wore down Tiafoe in the first set.
Tiafoe reached his first Masters 1000 semi-final without dropping a set, but Medvedev blocked all his attempts to break his serve, winning 24 of 27 service points in the first frame.
In the metronomic prank match, Tiafoe batted first, trailing 0-40 in Game 5, but roared back five points in a row.
But Medvedev suddenly broke through in game 11, another backhand into the net from Tiafoe gave him a break point, which Medvedev converted with a right hand to end another rally.
Tearing his arm open, he pocketed a set of love games.
Medvedev quickly gained the upper hand in the second, breaking Tiafoe in the first game with a winning right hand that fell back to the touchline as it fell.
– Can’t complain –
It wasn’t until Game 6 that Tiafoe was finally able to put real pressure on Medvedev’s serve, the Russian saving the first break point he faced.
At 5-3, Medvedev had three chances to make his mark in the game on Tiafoe’s serve in the ninth game, and after failing to convert, he lost for the first time on a sloppy serve with three unforced errors, including a double fault at half-time. dot.
Undeterred, he smashed Tiafoe in love in the next game, but the American again refused to concede, surviving four more match points on his way to an innings break to force a tie-break.
Medvedev, who also needed treatment for a cut thumb after falling in a semi-final victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokin, said his torment this week, especially his ankle injury, helped him focus and forget his distaste for the slow courts of Indian Wells. . .
“It’s still not my favorite playing conditions, (but) when you’re in the final you can’t complain,” he said.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com
