By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, February 19, 2023
Daniil Medvedev celebrated his Top 10 return rallying past Jannik Sinner 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 to win his 16th career title in Rotterdam.
Photo credit: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty
The specter Daniil Medvedev cast across the Rotterdam court challenged Jannik Sinner.
In the end, a spooked Sinner looked like a boxer trying to knock out a ghost: the harder he swung, the more Medvedev menaced him with counterstrikes he couldn't see coming.
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Operating from obscure court positions, Medvedev stopped Sinner 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in an absorbing Rotterdam final to capture his 16th career championship.
A precise Medvedev maintained his mastery of the talented Italian defeating Sinner for the fifth time in as many meetings. Medvedev snapped the Montpellier champion's seven match winning streak, while scoring his 10th straight ATP 500-level victory.
It is Medvedev's eighth indoor title and first ATP championship since he defeated Dominic Thiem, Sinner, Grigor Dimitrov and Denis Shapovalov to win Vienna in the last week of October.
Dropping the opening set of this Rotterdam tournament to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Medvedev proceeded to slay any ghosts of self doubt defeating Davidovich Fokina, Botic van de Zandschulp, defending-champion Felix Auger-Aliassime to snap a nine-match losing streak vs. Top 10 opponents, Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals and Sinner today.
"Definitely congrats for last week and this week, Jannik, you and your team," Medvedev said. "You guys are doing an amazing job, really hard workers. I think you have a lot more years to win this tournament and many more and Grand Slams and all this stuff like this. Good luck to you, I'm really happy to play you in the final."
Medvedev looks like Medvedev again and this inspired Rotterdam run puts him right back in the Top 10 at No. 8 in the live rankings, while Sinner moves up to No. 12.
Despite the straightforward scoreline of the last two sets, this final featured some crackling baseline exchanges with both men hitting some eye-popping running winners.
"The level of tennis you showed this week I think is one of the best editions we have had in our 50-year history," Rotterdam tournament director and former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek said afterward. "I'm happy I was born when I was born so I don't have to play you guys."
The talented Italian faced just eight break points en route to this final, but Medvedev applied pressure as the match progressed converting five of 12 break points in the final.
Aggressive baseliner Sinner moved fluidly throughout the tournament and has worked with coach Darren Cahill on refining his transition game. Sinner attacked effectively at times today winning 17 of 26 trips to net compared to 7 of 10 for Medvedev, but trying to hit through Medvedev on an indoor hard court can be an exercise in futility when he's on his game.
If Sinner is to break through and beat Medvedev in the future, he must be willing to close at net at crunch time, bring Medvedev in on occasion (as he did at times today though the Russian ran down some drop shots) and explore some shorter, sharper angles, which he can do especially on his two-handed backhand, to spread the court.
Four games into the match, Sinner drew first break blood. Sinner smacked a heavy pass down the line that left a spinning Medvedev unable to control his volley.
The 21-year-old Italian, who didn't face a single break point in his 7-5, 7-6(5) semifinal win over Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor yesterday, saved the first break point he faced in the final with a terrific serve down the T to set up a forehand drop shot. Sinner stood firm confirming the break for 4-1.
The 2021 US Open champion's deep court positioning near the back well makes the drop shot an inviting prospect for opponents. Medvedev knows it and was quick off the mark running down a dropper and bunting a backhand reply down the line for break point. When Sinner missed a backhand, Medvedev had the break back in the seventh game.
edvedev led 30-love when a shot dislodged a rectangular section of the electronic scoreboard. Play was suspended for about 5 minutes as a repair tech fixed the scoreboard. Medvedev withstood the delay holding after deuce to level after eight games.
Working with coach Darren Cahill on moving forward to finish, Sinner has employed his transition game effectively during this indoor season. Sinner had won 38 of 43 net trips en route to the final and applied pressure to take the first set. Spreading the court with a backhand, Sinner soared for a smash to earn set point in the 12th game.
In a pulsating 16-shot rally that followed, Sinner slashed a forehand down the line to close a quality opening set that spanned 67 minutes.
Undaunted, Medvedev broke to start the second set when his backhand return crashed into the top of the tape and plopped over.
The sixth seed breezed through his service games stretching the second-set lead to 3-1.
Posing pressure on the Italian's service game, Medvedev surprised Sinner by moving up close to confront a second serve. That altered sightline spooked Sinner into his first double fault gifting the double-break, 4-1 lead to the former world No. 1.
Rallying from love-40 down, Medvedev reeled off five points in a row consolidating for 5-1.
Crunching a crosscourt forehand, Medvedev served out the second set at love. The lanky Russian won 17 of 23 points played on his serve in the second set.
When Sinner missed first serves, Medvedev dispensed misery on return.
The 2022 Australian Open finalist gained triple break point in the third game of the third set.
Though Sinner saved two break points, he couldn't withstand an unrelenting Medvedev who won a long baseline duel to bang out a crucial break for a 2-1 third-set lead.
Rocketing ballistic baseline strikes, Sinner hit behind his opponent to create a break-point chance in the fourth game. A focused Medvedev ripped the wide serve and roped a backhand winner to deny it, eventually holding for 3-1.
Absorbing everything Sinner hit at him, Medvedev scored a second break for 5-2 when the man in blue overshot the baseline.
On his second championship point, Medvedev whipped one final stinging serve sealing his 16th title in two hours, 29 minutes.
The father of a four-month old daughter, Medvedev shared his wife placed their baby girl in front of the TV yesterday and she smiled seeing her dad "and she started smiling and laughing" Medvedev shared, adding "I hope she is doing this [today] also."