Cincinnati Open: Ashleigh Barty beats Jil Teichmann in final to clinch fifth title of the season
World number one Ashleigh Barty warms up for the US Open by winning the Cincinnati Open with a straight-sets victory over Jil Teichmann in the final.
World number one Ashleigh Barty warms up for the US Open by winning the Cincinnati Open with a straight-sets victory over Jil Teichmann in the final.
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos earned their first Western & Southern Open title Sunday when they defeated Steve Johnson and Austin Krajicek 7-6(5), 7-6(5) to lift their fourth ATP Masters 1000 trophy as a team.
The second seeds were made to battle against the Americans, saving a set point at 5-6 in the opener and rallying from 1/4 in the first-set tie-break as they secured their victory in one hour and 54 minutes.
“We are really happy,” Granollers said in his on-court interview. “To win two Masters 1000 titles this year is amazing and shows we are playing really well. I lost one final here, so to win with Zeballos is really nice. I think we are improving as a team every day.”
The Spanish-Argentine tandem, who won 77 per cent (54/64) of their first-serve points on Sunday, captured the Mutua Madrid Open crown in May and now hold a 4-0 record in Masters 1000 finals, also triumphing in Montreal in 2019 and Rome in 2020. Granollers and Zeballos are the first team since Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in 2003 to win the Cincinnati title without dropping a set.
”We played good matches all week against really good doubles players and good singles players, so it is an amazing feeling right now,” Zeballos added. “We said before the final, even if we didn’t win, we would still feel great because we are playing the best.”
[FOLLOW 1000]This year, Granollers and Zeballos have also reached finals at Acapulco in March and Wimbledon in July. They have now claimed six tour-level titles since first teaming in 2019.
In a high-quality first set, both teams were strong on serve with Granollers and Zeballos saving the three break points they faced, while Johnson and Krajicek fended off one themselves as they moved to a tie-break. After falling 1/4 behind in the tie-break, the second seeds raised their level and sealed the set when Johnson pushed a forehand long.
Fuelled by momentum, Granollers and Zeballos then raced into a 2-0 lead in the second set, only to be pegged back immediately at 2-2. Johnson and Krajicek struck the ball with great power from the baseline, while Granollers and Zeballos closed the net well throughout as both teams continued to hold to force another tie-break. Granollers and Zeballos once again stepped up in the crucial moments to secure their victory on their second championship point.
Wild cards Johnson and Krajicek upset third seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the semi-finals and were teaming for the first time this year. The Americans, who were competing in their first Masters 1000 doubles final, last played together in 2020 at the Western & Southern Open when it was held in New York, reaching the semi-finals.
For Alexander Zverev, nothing beats winning the biggest tournaments in the world. Reaching a final is great, but the German is not satisfied unless he lists the trophy.
“I love the feeling of lifting that trophy. That’s the hunger that you want. That’s the thing that you miss when you’re sitting at home on the couch,” said Zverev, who plays Andrey Rublev on Sunday in the Western & Southern Open final. “That’s when I get the most satisfaction, after winning a big match or winning a big title. That’s something that you play for and that’s something that right now, you get the biggest motivation out of it.”
Zverev has already earned important titles, including victories at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, four ATP Masters 1000 triumphs and his recent gold medal win at the Tokyo Olympics. But his journey has not come without setbacks. Earlier this year, he lost a devastating five-set semi-final at Roland Garros against Stefanos Tsitsipas. In the German’s first Grand Slam final at last year’s US Open, Zverev fell short in a final-set tie-break against Dominic Thiem.
“You actually learn much more from losses than from wins. Losses motivate you in the way that you want to do better next time. It’s always been in our sport this way,” Zverev said. “Tennis is a very short-term memory sport. You need to have success, put it in your pocket and put it in the back of the brain and know you can do it, but then go out there and do it again.”
Zverev has been around tennis his whole life. His father, Alexander Zverev Sr., is his coach. Mischa Zverev, who has climbed as high as No. 25 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, is his brother.
“I didn’t want to be just like Mischa. I wanted to beat Mischa,” Zverev said. “It didn’t really matter what we were doing, whether we were playing Monopoly, whether we were playing cards. I always wanted to be better than him, so that was definitely one part. But then when you grow up, you want the best for your brother. I want him to win basically every match that he plays.”
Regardless of competitive instincts, family is everything to Zverev.
“For me, the home makes the people. When your people and your loved ones are around you, you feel like part of your home is traveling with you,” Zverev said. “I think it really helps to have an older brother on Tour who still plays, to have your parents there with you. It’s a great thing to have all around.”
[FOLLOW 1000]Zverev has enjoyed another good season and is on pace to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive year. But the 24-year-old is not satisfied.
“For me, it’s now about making the next step,” Zverev said. “And winning the big titles.”
In a stacked field, some of tennis’ most exciting talents are set to compete this week at the Winston-Salem Open in North Carolina. Great Britain’s Andy Murray leads the way with #NextGenATP stars Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti also in action at the ATP 250 hard-court event.
Other players competing include Nick Kyrgios, Daniel Evans, David Goffin and Pablo Carreno Busta as well as former World No. 3 Marin Cilic.
Before play begins, ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch in Winston-Salem.
View Draws: Singles | Doubles
1) Murray Looking For Momentum: The former World No. 1 will compete in his sixth tour-level singles tournament of the season at the Winston-Salem Open. It is the second time that Murray is competing in North Carolina, having made his tournament debut in 2019. The Scot defeated Richard Gasquet in Cincinnati before falling to Pole Hubert Hurkacz in the second round earlier this week. After accepting a wild card into the ATP 250 event, Murray will face Kyrgios in a blockbuster first-round match.
[FOLLOW ACTION]2) #NextGenATP Stars In Action: #NextGenATP’s Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti will aim to continue their breakthrough seasons on their Winston-Salem debuts at the tournament. The 18-year-old Alcaraz, No. 55 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, captured his first tour-level title in Umag last month and will begin against either American Steve Johnson or a qualifier. Musetti will be aiming to snap a five-match losing streak in his opening round clash against Federico Coria.
Watch Highlights Of Alcaraz’s First Title In Umag
3) Wild Cards: Alongside Murray, Pablo Carreno Busta, David Goffin and Daniel Evans have accepted wild cards into the Winston-Salem Open. Top seed Carreno Busta lifted the title here in 2016, and will be pursuing his third ATP Tour trophy of the season. The Spaniard will open against Moldovan Radu Albot or South Korean Soonwoo Kwon. Belgium’s Goffin, who reached the quarter-finals in North Carolina in 2012 and 2014, is the second seed. Goffin could face 13th seed Frances Tiafoe in third round.
Evans is making his third appearance at the ATP 250 event and will be aiming to win his second tour-level trophy, having captured the Murray River Open crown in Melbourne this February. The third seed will open his campaign against Spaniard Feliciano Lopez or a qualifier.
4) Can Kyrgios and Cilic Find Form? Australian Kyrgios and Croatian Cilic will be making their debuts at the Winston-Salem Open. Kyrgios will be competing in his seventh tour-level event of the season, most recently playing in Toronto. The World No. 81 will meet Tiafoe in the second round if he overcomes Murray.
Sixth seed Cilic will be aiming to clinch his second tour-level title of the season. The 32-year-old, who triumphed in Stuttgart, reached the second round in both Toronto and Cincinnati and could face Carreno Busta in the quarter-finals. He notably pushed Daniil Medvedev to five sets at Wimbledon.
5) Kubot/Melo In Doubles Action: After reuniting in June, Polish-Brazilian tandem Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo will compete together in their fifth tour-level tournament of the season this week in Winston-Salem. The top seeds, who have captured 15 tour-level trophies as a team, including four ATP Masters 1000s, won the title in North Carolina in 2019.
French pair Nicholas Mahut and Fabrice Martin are the second seeds, South African Raven Klaasen and Japan’s Ben McLachlan are seeded third and Italian Simone Bolelli and Argentine Maximo Gonzalez are the fourth seeds.
World number one Ashleigh Barty reaches her sixth final of 2021 in Cincinnati, while Andrey Rublev upsets top seed Daniil Medvedev to progress to the men’s final.
On Saturday, Holger Rune became the last man standing in Verona, Italy. The Danish teen continued his ruthless run of form on the ATP Challenger Tour, clinching a second straight title in dominant fashion. Rune did not drop a set all week at the inaugural Internazionali di Tennis Verona, culminating in a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Nino Serdarusic in the final.
It was a fitting conclusion to an impressive ATP Challenger debut in Verona, as the tournament kicked off a new era on the circuit. And with former pro Viktor Galovic at the helm, it was a success from start to finish. With renowned local chefs and live concerts throughout the week, as well as dramatic light shows marking the night sessions, fans were given world-class entertainment and players were treated like rock stars. After traveling the tour for nearly a decade, this is exactly how Galovic envisioned the ideal tournament.
It has become one of the novelties of life on the ATP Challenger Tour. More and more former players have made the transition to a different role, stepping into the office as tournament director. From Top 10 stalwarts Arnaud Clement (Aix-en-Provence) and Andres Gomez (Guayaquil), to the likes of Luis Horna (Lima), Rik De Voest (Vancouver) and Nicolas Escude (Brest), past champions are giving back. Each of these players’ careers were launched on the Challenger circuit. Now, they are returning to their roots.
This week, Galovic is the latest to enter the fray. The Croatian, who is based in Italy, has embarked on a new career as tournament director in his hometown of Verona. It marks the return of the ATP Challenger Tour to the Italian city for the first time since 1990.
Galovic, a mainstay inside the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for many years, lifted his lone Challenger trophy in nearby Recanati, Italy, in 2017. He would also make five appearances on the ATP Tour, most notably reaching the quarter-finals on the clay of the Swiss Open Gstaad in 2018, where he upset World No. 38 Robin Haase.
After a 10-year career, Galovic announced his retirement from professional tennis in July. Persistent back and hip injuries may have forced him to hang up his racquet, but the 30-year-old is not leaving the tennis scene. He recently launched ‘VK Events’, with plans to organize many ATP Challenger tournaments throughout Italy in the coming years.
It all starts with this week’s inaugural Internazionali di Tennis Verona. Held at the Associazione Tennis Verona, the tournament site was founded in 1929 and previously hosted a Challenger tournament from 1988-90. Now, the historic club welcomes players and fans for a new era of tennis in northern Italy.
Galovic spoke to ATPTour.com during his first week in his new role…
First of all, Viktor, congrats on this new endeavor. How did this come about?
I was playing good for the past few years and enjoying my time on tour, but I got stuck with a back injury and had four hernias. I had to do surgery on my hip too. I’m almost 31 now and don’t want to have to go through another surgery, so that’s it. I played my last tournament in Todi (in July). But now I’m staying in tennis, but in a different way. I think I’m going to enjoy this more than practising and sweating all day.
The tournament actually started as a joke. Me and my friend were saying that’s it is crazy that a club like this in Verona does not have a Challenger. For fun we said, ‘let’s contact the ATP and do it’. That’s how it started.
I actually had this idea earlier in the year. We started at the end of April and didn’t have much time to organize everything. But we managed to do one of the best Challengers in Europe I think.
Now that the first edition is complete, what are your impressions? How did it go?
I’m the tournament director, but I’m also the organizer of the tournament. With my colleagues, we organized everything from the beginning. Just four of us created this from nothing. We did an amazing job in just a few months.
The courts are completely new and we have a great hotel and great food. Having a team that knows what the players need is important. We brought in Elena Marchesini [co-founder of MEF Tennis Events] to do the player desk. Also, in the first few days, we had to train the guys that were cleaning the courts, the ball boys and some of the staff, but as soon as they knew what to do, it went smoothly.
Being a former player gives you a unique perspective. How has that helped you in this role?
Being a former player helps a lot. I know everything the players need. I was the one complaining sometimes at some Challengers. We did everything for these players. For example, we could have taken a hotel that was less expensive but we wanted to go with the Crowne Plaza and make it more comfortable. With the staff here in the restaurant, all the food is good. If it wasn’t, I would have hired someone to make it good. We did almost everything for the players.
For the fans, we put the lights on the centre court, so people from the streets can see them and walk in. We didn’t expect to have so many people on site. On Tuesday, we were already completely full. People have to be vaccinated or have a negative test. We had 200 people sitting and 200 more standing. It’s holidays in Verona now, so everyone is free to watch the tennis. It’s been 31 years since Verona last had a Challenger and we wanted to have no payment to come watch.
You mentioned the importance of making everything perfect for the players, but how have you also improved the fan experience?
The main goal was to make this feel like the ATP 250 tournament in Umag. We decided it’s going to be an event, with great food and music and tennis. It’s a tennis tournament, but also a big event. The centre court has flashing lights and after the matches we have parties in the club. Even before the night matches we have an ‘aperativo’ (a light pre-dinner drink) hour. If you come with your wife and she’s not as interested in the tennis, she can still enjoy it and stay for the concerts after the matches are finished. It’s similar to Umag and to Braunschweig on the Challenger Tour. Here, we have something like this going on every night.
What’s been the biggest challenge to make this happen?
Just working with so many people and so many groups to make things happen for the tournament. Organizing everything and contacting everyone. That is the main complicated thing. I’m sure it’s like this with many tournaments. That’s the biggest challenge in organizing a tournament.
You just started a new event management company, VK Events. Is it just tennis tournaments or do you have plans to expand into other areas?
For now it’s just tennis and next year we have plans for three Challengers. Again, the main thing for us is to create an event. An entertainment experience. Not just going to see a tournament and that’s it. Next year, we will try to go to Lido di Venezia. It’s going to be in Venice, so you have to come by ferry. And the other one we’re looking to do is in Murano. We also want to do something that no one has done in Verona, and that is to bring an ATP 250 here. We still don’t know how or when, but the main goal is to have a centre court in the arena here. That’s the goal.
Now that your playing career is over, how rewarding is it to be able to give back to the Challenger Tour and help it grow as a director?
It’s very rewarding. It was the best period of my life. I was struggling a lot at the beginning of my career, but to get to the Challenger Tour and have these experiences with a coach and a physio was everything. It was already rewarding in the past and now to be able to organize one of these tournaments, it is even more special.
Finally, what are your fondest memories of competing on tour? What will you remember most from your playing days?
I don’t have so many memories that pop out from winning matches. But the main thing that I really liked is that it taught me about dealing with pressure and about people getting involved to organize something. It taught me a lot in that way, because tennis is stressful. Traveling in planes two times a week is already stressful and then you have the on-court stress. Tennis is all about solving problems. That helped me a lot to solve the problems right now in organizing a Challenger.
History is relentless – and, ultimately, undefeated – but as Andrey Rublev discovered Saturday afternoon in Mason, Ohio, sometimes it can be re-written by those bold enough to challenge what has passed before.
Coming into his Western & Southern Open semi-final with fellow Russian Daniil Medvedev, the 23-year-old had lost each of the four ATP-level matches between them – and all 10 sets. When the No.1 seed took the first set rather easily, it looked like more of the same.
But Rublev rallied famously and, perhaps helped by a jarring Medvedev collision with a television camera, dramatically altered the narrative with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory.
He’ll face Alexander Zverev – himself a dramatic 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4) winner over Stefanos Tsitsipas – in a delectable Sunday final (4:30 p.m., ET). The gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympics was down a double break at 1-4 in the third set and, despite suffering severe gastric distress, managed a remarkable comeback to extend his winning streak to 10 matches.
Your 2021 #CincyTennis final
?? @AndreyRublev97 v. @AlexZverev ??Who claims Cincinnati? ? pic.twitter.com/pzJCoJkygA
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 22, 2021
What would it mean to Rublev to win his first Masters 1000 event?
“Of course it will be special, and especially this place that I have such great memories that many things happen here that help me also and change a bit myself,” Rublev said in his post-match press conference. “But we’ll see. I’m not thinking this way.
“This week was already, is amazing for me. It’s one more amazing memory in my head. I’m going to do my best tomorrow, and that’s all I can say.”
Rublev will have yet another opportunity to re-write his personal history.
The No.3-seeded Zverev, like Medvedev coming into the semi-finals, leads the ATP Head2Head 4-0 (and 9-0 in sets), with the most recent victory coming in the fourth round of the Australian Open, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
“Yeah, he’s playing the tennis of his life, I think beating Daniil, who is in incredible form right now,” Zverev said of Rublev. “It’s going to be of course a tough one, but also a fun one. I have known Andrey since we were 11 years old.
“We have been pretty much best friends for a long period of time. It’s great to see how long of a way we came and that we are kind of playing the biggest matches and competing for the biggest titles together.”
Medvedev was attempting to accomplish the rare Canada/Cincinnati double and playing his 13th match in less than one month. He reached the quarter-finals at the Tokyo Olympics, losing to Pablo Carreno Busta, and then won the title in Toronto.
In the third game of the second set, however, Medvedev ran into a television camera while chasing a sharply angled ball from Rublev. It was a violent crash; the heavy camera actually came off its mooring. Medvedev required a medical timeout and never recaptured the momentum of the first set.
“I think it’s, how you say, tough situation,” Rublev said. “When you run far away, you can hit some, or referee sometimes or chair that stay next to you. Here happens that Daniil, he hit camera. Of course in these moments it’s really dangerous because something can happen.”
Against Zverev, Rublev will have to channel the poise and precision he showed in the eighth game of the second set. With Medvedev serving at 3-4, Rublev prevailed in a 22-point game that required 15 minutes. It was the kind of game the patient, counter-punching Medvedev usually won in their previous encounters.
“In that moment, I feel that was like the turning point for both of us, because was so humid and so hot,” Rublev said. “That game we play so many great rallies, long rallies. I could feel that Daniil was a bit already tired, because sometimes he was doing mistakes that normally he was not doing.”
Zverev, who defeated Novak Djokovic in the Olympic semi-finals and Karen Khachanov in final, lost to Tsitsipas in the semi-finals at Roland Garros. He came back from that 1-4 deficit in the third set with some superb serving. There were three aces and four unreturnable offerings at 5-all and in the tie-break Zverev unleashed back-to-back serves at 131 and 133 miles per hour to position himself for the victory.
The four young Cincinnati semi-finalists seem to be in the best position to challenge No. 1 Novak Djokovic’s bid to score a Grand Slam and break the three-way tie with Federer and Nadal for most major titles.
Medvedev, at 25, is the oldest of the group, followed by Zverev (24), Rublev and Tsitsipas, who are both 23. This was the first time in nine years the top four seeds all reached the final four of a Masters 1000. That happened in Shanghai, China and, for the record, those players were Roger Federer, Djokovic, Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych.
[FOLLOW 1000]With Federer, Djokovic and Nadal all missing in action Saturday – the 40-year-old Federer and Nadal (35) say they are done for the year – this is, going forward, what elite men’s tennis might look like.
Consider the list of ATP leaders in match wins for 2021: Tsitsipas (48), Rublev (41), Medvedev (40), Casper Ruud (39) and Djokovic (38). Zverev and Cameron Norrie are next with 37.
“It was a very dramatic match against one of the best players in the world this year,” Zverev said. “I think Stef has been playing incredible tennis and is on an incredible level. I think it was very entertaining for all the people, but it was also entertaining to play it itself, because I went through a lot of emotions.
“I mean, first, I was winning, I was playing incredible tennis. Then I had some physical issues. Then I had to come back. I had to dig deep. To come back, to win that match, is a great feeling.”
Alexander Zverev produced a stunning comeback against Stefanos Tsitsipas Saturday night to extend his winning streak to 10 matches and charge into the final of the Western & Southern Open. Feeling unwell and down a double break at 1-4 in the third set, the German clawed back to claim an improbable 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) win.
In a rollercoaster performance, the Tokyo Olympics champion played exceptional tennis in the first set, dropped his level significantly in the second set before finding his gritty final act.
Having been deserted by his serve throughout the middle of the match, Zverev thundered three aces to take a 6-5 lead in the decider and then commanded the tie-break by going five for five on first serves, sealing the victory with a second mini-break.
“After the first break [to get to 2-4] I thought I had a chance and I felt he wasn’t serving bombs and that I was in the rallies,” Zverev said on court after the win. “It was a little bit of the mentality that I had against Novak at the Olympics.”
“It’s a great rivalry, there is a lot of fire and emotion there,” Zverev said later on Tennis Channel. “And before the US Open we didn’t want to give each other anything, which is what the match showed. It was a great battle and the last matches we have played have been like that.”
Must watch tennis ?#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/yIqSotXwcj
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 22, 2021
Little separated the players in early proceedings until Zverev produced a sizzling down-the-line backhand pass as part of a four-point run against the Greek’s serve to claim the only break of the set. Coming into Cincinnati, Tsitsipas in 2021 had won 96 per cent of games when serving at 40/15, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Zverev dictated early, keeping the Greek pinned deep behind the baseline with his dominant serve and heavy groundstrokes, which made it difficult for the 23-year-old to play on his terms and change the match narrative.
[FOLLOW 1000]Annoyed that Tsitsipas took an eight-minute bathroom break after the first set, Zverev channeled his frustration into an opening-game break of serve to take further control of the match.
But as Zverev’s first-serve percentage dropped to just above 50 percent for the set and he offered up a string of forehand errors, Tsitsipas found a path forward and into the court to apply pressure as he claimed consecutive breaks to go ahead 5-2. At one point he won 16 of 22 points.
In a complete reversal of how the match began, Tsitsipas dictated play and had Zverev on the run in the decider, claiming two breaks. But Zverev won a gruelling rally with a stunning backhand winner to claw back his first break for 2-4, before disappearing up the tunnel with his towel. Tsitsipas served for the match at 5-4 but couldn’t close out the match as Zverev showed great resilience despite battling what appeared to be a stomach upset.
“I didn’t feel well,” Zverev admitted. “In the middle of the second set I felt low energy and my stomach wasn’t great. I broke him at 4-2 in the third and went outside the court and did my thing. I started to feel better, the doctor came out and gave me a little medicine and my stomach started to calm down a little. The energy came back but I think that was also adrenaline.”
Zverev had not won a match at the tournament in six prior appearances.
Tsitsipas, who also reached the semi-finals last week in Toronto, now heads to the US Open with a Tour-leading 48 match wins on the season. He is second in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin and in strong contention to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.
Second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos overcame Fabio Fognini of Italy and Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador 6-3, 6-4 Saturday at the Western & Southern Open to reach their second ATP Masters 1000 final of the season.
The Spanish-Argentine tandem, which captured their third Masters 1000 title in Madrid in May, did not face a break point, winning 82 per cent (27/33) of their first-service points to advance in 69 minutes.
Granollers and Zeballos have yet to drop a set in Cincinnati and will compete in their fourth tour-level final of the season on Sunday, having also reached the championship match at Wimbledon last month and in Acapulco in March.
[FOLLOW 1000]They will meet Steve Johnson and Austin Krajicek after the Americans battled past third seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 7-6(5), 6-7(8), 10-3 in two hours and one minute.
In a high-quality Match Tie-break, Johnson raised his level to lift the unseeded pair into the final as they team for the first time this season. Johnson and Krajicek last competed in 2020 at the Western & Southern Open, when it was held in New York, reaching the semi-finals.
Johnson and Krajicek hit four aces and saved the one break point they faced to ensure they did not fall at the same stage this year. Earlier this season Krajicek advanced to the final in Newport (w/Pospisil), while Johnson enjoyed a run to the championship match in Atlanta (w/Thompson) earlier this month.
Russia’s Andrey Rublev recorded his first victory over countryman Daniil Medvedev in his fifth attempt Saturday at the Western & Southern Open to reach his second ATP Masters 1000 final.
“It’s like you pass university and they give you a diploma,” a delighted Rublev said on court after the match.
The fourth seed, who fell to Medvedev and the Australian Open in February, had not defeated the 12-time tour-level titlist in their previous four encounters, nor at any time earlier in his career. However, Rublev rallied in Ohio hitting powerful forehands to defeat Medvedev 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in two hours and 22 minutes and improve to 1-4 in their ATP Head2Head Series.
”Even when I was 2-6 down, the score should not have been like this because the points were so tight,” Rublev said in his on-court interview. “The match was so intense, so many long rallies, super tough, super physical, super mental. A lot like a chess match.
“Medvedev is one of those players who won’t give you a chance to attack, but if I have enough power and chose the right moment, I have to be the one to make him run. In the end, I was trying to find the perfect moment to start being more aggressive to open the angles.
“It gives me more confidence that I can compete against him. There are still so many things to improve.”
[FOLLOW 1000]Not your every day occurrence, as Daniil Medvedev collides with a camera in Cincinnati#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/BSK51FyyiI
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 21, 2021
The 23-year-old reached his maiden Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo in April and will face third seed Alexander Zverev or Roland Garros finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday’s championship match as he bids to claim his first title at this level.
Rublev has fond memories in Cincinnati, having defeated Roger Federer en route to the quarter-finals in 2019. This year, the eight-time tour-level titlist helped guide Russia to the ATP Cup title alongside Medvedev in February and lifted the Rotterdam trophy in March.
In a lively start, Medvedev gained an early break as he sat deep behind the baseline and hit with consistent depth. The 25-year-old covered the court well to frustrate Rublev, who committed 18 unforced errors in the first set as Medvedev moved ahead.
After colliding with a cameraman at 1-1 in the second set, Medvedev recovered as both hammered their groundstrokes to manoeuvre each other around the court in a high-quality encounter. In an epic eighth game, Rublev raised his level, converting his fifth break point as he managed to hit through his countryman, before holding serve to claim his first-ever set against Medvedev and force a decider.
Both players were strong on serve in the third set until the seventh game, when three errors from Medvedev handed Rublev a crucial break of serve. The World No. 7, who won 73 per cent (44/60) of his first-service points, then held his nerve to secure his victory.
Medvedev overcame big-serving American Reilly Opelka in Toronto last week to capture his fourth Masters 1000 title. The top seed, who clinched the Cincinnati trophy in 2019, had won 11 out of his past 12 matches in Ohio.
The Australian Open finalist, who has also lifted titles in Mallorca and Montpellier this season, was aiming to become just the seventh male player in the Open Era to complete the Toronto-Cincinnati double.
