Medvedev survives Shanghai scare from Arnaldi
Daniil Medvedev dug deep on Sunday to maintain his bid for a first title of 2024 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
The No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings rallied to a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory against Matteo Arnaldi to book his fourth-round spot at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Medvedev held firm to prevail after two hours and 44 minutes in an absorbing encounter full of extended rallies.
“It was a very tough match, a very close one,” said Medvedev. “I actually felt like that’s where tennis is funny. I felt like in the first set, I was probably the better player, had more opportunities. I didn’t manage to [win] it, played a bad game at the end of the set.
“In the other sets, I thought it was closer. Maybe even he had the edge on some of the moments, but that’s why tennis is crazy. You can win when you don’t expect it, and lose when you expect to win, so I’m happy to be here again in two days.”
A Shanghai special from @DaniilMedwed 🤩@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/djdos1P40E
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 6, 2024
Medvedev will take on 10th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Alexandre Muller next in Shanghai, where he is chasing his first tour-level title since his Rome victory in May 2023. The 28-year-old is also looking to take further steps towards Nitto ATP Finals qualification in China. He is currently fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and in a strong position to seal his spot at the prestigious season finale for the sixth consecutive year.
Competing under the roof inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena due to rain, Medvedev broke Arnaldi’s serve in the opening game of the match but was unable to maintain that momentum in the early stages. The Italian won six of eight games from 1-3 to clinch the opening set as he made a positive start in his bid for a first fourth-round appearance in Shanghai.
Yet in trademark fashion, Medvedev found a way to grind out a victory with the help of some improved serving and a decisive, clinical return game in the ninth game of the deciding set. He capitalised on some late nerves from Arnaldi on serve to move 5-4 ahead before closing out the victory to improve to 4-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
Medvedev finished the match having won four of 12 break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He is now 9-3 in Shanghai, where he is aiming to win the same tour-level title twice for the first time in his career.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]