Medvedev ends Djokovic run to book Dubai final with Rublev
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[March 04, 2023]
(Reuters) -Daniil Medvedev handed Novak Djokovic his first
defeat of the year, beating the world number one 6-4 6-4 on Friday
to reach the Dubai Tennis Championships final where he plays holder
Andrey Rublev for a third title in as many weeks.
In a contest where the players put their early season win streaks on
the line, it was Rotterdam and Doha champion Medvedev who drew first
blood by breaking an error-prone Djokovic twice and closed out the
first set with a searing forehand.
Playing in his first tournament since winning the Adelaide and
Australian Open titles, Djokovic has hardly put a foot wrong barring
a small scare in his opener against Tomas Machac.
The 35-year-old had his moments and looked the better player after
going down 2-5 in the opening set but he dropped his serve again
early in the second after hitting a return long.
It was the opening Medvedev could have only dreamed of in his bid to
claim a fifth win over Djokovic in 14 matches and the Russian
pounced for a 4-2 lead after some high-octane tennis.
Former U.S. Open champion Medvedev peeled away further with an ace
for a crucial hold and sealed a 13th straight win in his next
service game.
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"When you play Novak you just have to play your best and hope he
doesn't on the day because when he does... he has 22 Grand Slams so
it's going to be tough and it's not certain you'll win," Medvedev
said.
"I'm happy I managed to play at a higher level than him... I stayed
composed and I'm really happy to be in the final.
"I was feeling great before this match but feeling a little worse
now. Every time you play Novak, it's physically tough. A lot of
rallies. It was more humid today and he wasn't happy sweating, I
wasn't happy sweating.
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ATP 500 - Dubai Tennis Championships -
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates -
March 3, 2023 Russia's Daniil Medvedev celebrates winning his semi
final match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic REUTERS/Amr Alfiky
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"We always have tough battles and I'm looking
forward to the next one."
Earlier, Russian Rublev reached the final with a first career
victory against Alexander Zverev, closing out a 6-3 7-6(9) win on
his sixth matchpoint.
"I was thinking it was going to be a third set," Rublev, who will be
gunning for his 13th ATP title on Saturday, said. "I was preparing
mentally for it but I somehow saved a set point."
It was Zverev's first semi-final since he injured his ankle at
Roland Garros and had surgery and the German showed glimpses of the
form that took him to number two in the world last year.
But a determined Rublev recovered from a dip in his level to ensure
there was no late drama.
"I had a couple of matchpoints but he played well. At 9-9 I made a
good return and said 'OK, let's try to make it here'. I won a crazy
rally and was lucky," he said.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in BengaluruEditing by Christian
Radnedge)
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