Could it be third time lucky for Andrey Rublev at the Nitto ATP Finals this week?
The sixth seed fell at the round-robin stage in his previous two appearances at the year-end event, but made a winning start in Turin on Monday when he earned a statement victory against Daniil Medvedev at the Pala Alpitour.
The 25-year-old was at his heavy-hitting best against the fourth seed, striking his forehand with power to earn a thrilling 6-7(7), 6-3, 7-6(7) victory on his fifth match point in his opening Red Group match.
In a dramatic clash, Rublev recovered from squandering seven set points in the first set, including a 6/2 lead in the tie-break as he shook off his disappointment to triumph after two hours and 30 minutes.
The sixth seed struck 34 winners across the second and third sets, penetrating Medvedev’s defence in the fast indoor conditions with his flat and precise groundstrokes, before he finally sealed his victory on his fifth match point in the third-set tiebreak. With his victory, Rublev has improved to 2-4 in his ATP Head2Head series against Medvedev.
Rublev, who entered the match holding a 2-4 record at the event, will also face Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic in the Red Group, with the Greek facing the Serbian in the night session on Monday.
Competing in front of a packed crowd in Turin, Rublev hugged the baseline as he took the ball early off both wings to take time away from Medvedev. The 25-year-old also remained disciplined, waiting patiently in the long exchanges, taking his shots on when Medvedev dropped the ball short.
Rublev is looking to regain his best form in Turin, having suffered second-round exits in Vienna and Paris. Earlier this year, the World No. 7 lifted tour-level trophies in Marseille, Dubai, Belgrade and Gijon.
Daniil Medvedev’s proven tough to stop at the Nitto ATP Finals in recent years, winning the title in 2020 before advancing to the final last year. However, the 26-year-old struggled to find consistency against Rublev, with the sixth seed forcing Medvedev into errors with his baseline aggression.
Medvedev is aiming to become the 11th player to win multiple Nitto ATP Finals titles this week. In 2020, he defeated Dominic Thiem in a three-set thriller to win the biggest title of his career at the time.
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