ATP Paris: Daniil Medvedev tames Milos Raonic to set possible Rafael Nadal clash

Daniil Medvedev reached his first Masters 1000 final last year in Montreal, beating Dominic Thiem and Karen Khachanov but losing the title clash to Rafael Nadal. The Russian then won back-to-back Masters 1000 crowns in Cincinnati and Shanghai, adding his name to the list of notable players at this series and hoping for more in 2020. As we all know, the season had to be reduced due to the coronavirus, with only three Masters 1000 trophies up for grabs. Medvedev lost in the quarter-final in Cincinnati, getting back to the winning streak in Paris after reaching the fourth Masters 1000 final from the last six tournaments! In the semis, Daniil took down a former finalist Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6 in an hour and 37 minutes, beating the Canadian for the third straight year. Medvedev won 12 points more than Raonic, fending off six out of seven break chances and delivering two breaks from three opportunities.

Playing on a high level just liker against Diego Schwartzman in the quarters, the Russian fired 31 winners and 12 unforced errors, with the Canadian spraying twice as many mistakes. Milos couldn't deliver the number of free points from the initial shot he had in the previous rounds, struggling on the second serve and losing ground in the shortest range up to four strokes to end his run in the semi-final. Raonic held with an ace in the first game, followed by a service winner from Medvedev, who got his name on the scoreboard and leveled the score at 1-1.

Daniil Medvedev is through to the fourth Masters 1000 final from the last six events.

The Canadian sealed the third game with a forehand winner, powerless on the return in the next one as Daniil held at love for 2-2. Finding the range on the return, the Russian grabbed a break in game five when Milos sent a forehand long, wrapping up the next one with a backhand winner to confirm the lead and move 4-2 up.

Milos landed a smash winner in game seven to reduce the deficit, bringing the ninth game home to remain within one break deficit and force Daniil to serve out for the set. Standing strong behind the initial shot, the Russian sealed the opener with a volley winner, taking it 6-4 in 37 minutes for a boost ahead of set number two. Both players served well in the opening seven games of the second set before Medvedev faced three break points at 3-4. The better-ranked player saved them all in some grueling rallies, leveling the score at 4-4 and moving in front with a break in game 11 despite being 40-15 down. Milos lost four straight points in that game and netted a forehand to pretty much seal his fate. Instead of that, the Canadian broke back in game 12 to prolong the action, gathering a boost ahead of the tie break. Still, Daniil stayed focused and opened a 4-0 advantage when his rival sprayed a forehand mistake, sealing the deal with two winners at 5-4 to move over the top and set the semi-final clash against Rafael Nadal or Alexander Zverev.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3eCdqy4