Medvedev Moves One Step Closer To Brisbane Final

Daniil Medvedev is one step closer to a second ATP Tour final on Australian soil, almost 12 months on from capturing his first title at the Sydney International. The fourth-seeded Russian kept his nerve on Friday to defeat 2016 champion and fifth seed Milos Raonic of Canada 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and nine minutes at the Brisbane International.

Medvedev withstood 29 aces from Raonic, saved all eight break points he faced – including three set points at 4-5 in the first set – and struck 12 aces to advance to the semi-finals, where he will face France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or seventh seed Alex de Minaur of Australia.

Raonic had three set points at 5-4, with Medvedev serving at 0/40, but the Russian fought off all three and forced a tie-break. There, however, Raonic dominated to take the opener.

Medvedev secured the first break of the match, though, in the second game of the second set and cruised to even the quarter-final with an ace. The 22-year-old needed to bide his time until the ninth game of the decider when he broke Raonic, who won 82 per cent of his first-service points.

In addition to the Sydney title (d. de Minaur), World No. 16 Medvedev also lifted ATP Tour trophies in 2018 at the Winston-Salem Open (d. Johnson) and the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships (d. Nishikori). Raonic, 28, has compiled 30+ wins in seven of the past eight seasons.

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