Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece beat Daniil Medvedev 6-3 6-7 7-6 in a Red Group match of the ATP Finals on Wednesday to boost his chances of qualifying for the semifinal. The match lasted well over two hours as the 24-year-old Greek managed to assert his supremacy in the end.
The 26-year-old Medvedev thus bowed out of the tournament as his underwhelming run in big events continued.
Three keys to Stefanos Tsitsipas’ win over Daniil Medvedev at the ATP Finals
#1. Tsitsipas showed great net-skills to keep the pressure on:
Tsitsipas rushed the net quite frequently from the very beginning and also exhibited consummate net-skills to win points through volleys. Medvedev kept trying to pass him, but often failed in his endeavour as the Greek won 93% of the points in net in the first set.
Tsitsipas broke Medvedev in the second game and then held his serve to go 3-0 up. He then managed to maintain his lead for the remainder of the set to draw the first blood.
#2. Medvedev fought tooth and nail in the second set:
Medvedev started playing the drop shot more often as the match progressed, but that tactic often backfired as Tsitsipas managed to chase the ball down on most occasions.
The Greek also dictated terms quite a few times by moving the Russian from side to side with his groundstrokes off the forehand. Tsitsipas also held his own with his backhand as Medvedev had to save a few match points in the second set tie-break to stay in the match. The Russian’s perseverance paid off in the end as he somehow did enough to win the tie-break 13-11.
#3. Tsitsipas came back from behind to win the third set:
Tsitsipas opted for serve-and-volley quite a few times in the third set, but fell behind as the Russian managed to break him and go 5-3 up. Just as the Russian served for the match, Tsitsipas succeeded in breaking him and then took the set to yet another tie-break.
The tie-break proved to be a cakewalk for the Greek as Medvedev handed him the momentum by hitting a drop shot into the net. Tsitsipas then built on the lead to win the tie-break 7-1 and thereby keep his hopes alive in the tournament.
Main Photo from Getty.
