Medvedev Rallies For Hurkacz Revenge In Toronto
Top seed Daniil Medvedev was two points from defeat on Friday night against Hubert Hurkacz, but he held his nerve to produce a thrilling 2-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(5) comeback to reach the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers semi-finals.
Medvedev, whose Wimbledon campaign was cut short in the fourth round by the seventh-seeded Pole just over a month ago, was out for revenge as they faced off for the second time in their ATP Head2Head. He fired 38 winners, including 23 aces, to find a way to victory against Hurkacz, who did not drop serve once in the contest.
[WATCH LIVE 1]“He had his chances and he was probably the better player for at least two sets for sure, but that’s tennis,” Medvedev said in an on-court interview. “We both have great serves and I managed to hit some aces when I needed to.
“It was definitely not easy. He was on top of me. But to win matches like this gives you a huge boost of confidence. It’s a pleasure to be standing here and giving interviews.”
The Russian awaits the winner of 11th seed Gael Monfils and John Isner as he seeks to return to the final in Canada, after reaching this stage in Montreal in 2019 (l. to Nadal). He seeks his fourth ATP Masters 1000 title, and a 12th tour-level title overall.
There was little to separate Hurkacz and Medvedev as both players dominated early on behind their first serves. But the Pole quickly pulled away after a double fault from Medvedev handed him a 4-2 lead. He kept his own game clean and tidy as Medvedev, frustrated by the windy conditions, racked up 16 unforced errors – including a wild error off a routine bounce smash to surrender the set.
Hurkacz was rock-solid from the baseline, redirecting the Russian’s firepower and keeping his opponent running from side to side. But Medvedev steadily improved his serving as the second set went on: after saving two break points to hold for 3-3, he dropped only two points behind his serve as they marched into a tie-break. This time, it was Hurkacz who dumped a smash into the net to help bring up set point as the Russian levelled the score.
With both players dialled in, Medvedev and Hurkacz each had chances to take the lead in a tightly contested final set. But once again, neither player surrendered their serve to take them into a tie-break, where the match was decided on the finest of margins. As two of Hurkacz’s backhands drifted just long, Medvedev fired his 23rd ace to seal the victory.