The top seed at the ATP Mallorca Open, Daniil Medvedev produced a commanding performance in his quarterfinal clash. He breezed past Casper Rudd, 7-5 6-1, in just under 80 minutes on Centre Court. With this clinical performance, the 25-year-old Russian has secured a semifinal spot for just the third time in his career on grass. He will meet the No.4 seed, Pablo Carreno Busta, in what promises to be an exciting semifinal.
ATP Mallorca Open Semifinal Preview
After securing the only break of serve in the first set, the Russian was relentless. He won the next set briskly to crush Ruud’s any hopes of making a comeback.
Carreno Busta has been unyielding himself as he is yet to drop a set at Mallorca this week. The Spaniard made an easy meal of Australia’s Jordan Thompson. He wrapped up the match 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 22 minutes to seal his first semifinal spot since the Barcelona Open earlier this year, where he lost to Rafael Nadal.
Daniil Medvedev vs Pablo Carreno Busta
Daniil Medvedev leads Carreno Busta 2-1 in their head-to-head. However, their upcoming semifinal meeting on Friday is their first face-off on grass. Just like Medvedev, Carreno Busta is title-less on grass, which adds another level of excitement to the contest. Both men would dearly hope to inch a step closer towards their possible maiden title on grass.
Carreno Busta has a good baseline game. However, the Spaniard’s game at the net can be vulnerable. Medvedev can exploit this weakness either by serving and volleying or by employing his cheeky drop shots to put the 29-year-old Spaniard under pressure.
The biggest positive that Medvedev can draw from his emphatic win over Ruud is his effective serving. That augurs extremely well for the Russian as he aims to fine-tune his grass-court game to give himself a realistic chance of going the distance at Wimbledon.
As far as Carreno Busta is concerned, he has a reputation of being a decent player on hard courts and on clay. However, he has not been able to transcend his impressive hard-court game onto grass yet.
The grass is not the preferred surface for either of the men and as a result, the one who adapts well to the surface tomorrow will have an edge. Carreno Busta will enjoy the home support, but Medvedev is in fine form and appears to be hungry for his maiden title on grass.
Against Carreno Busta, Medvedev starts as a firm favorite to reach his first-ever final on grass. However, can the Spaniard, getting out of his comfort zone, punch above his weight to upset Medvedev?
An exciting semifinal awaits us at the Centre Court as the No.1 and No.4 seed battle it out for a spot in the final at Mallorca.
Main Photo from Getty.
