This year’s Paris Bercy Masters 1000 champion, Danil Medvedev, beat Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-4 after 1 hour and 29 minutes to claim his first win at the Nitto ATP Finals at the O2 Arena in London, just eight days after the two had met in the final at the Paris Bercy Masters 1000 tournament. With this win Medvedev joined Djokovic at the top of the Group Tokyo 1970.
Medvedev had to come back from one set down to edge Zverev in the Paris Bercy final.
Zverev made four double faults in his first two service games. Medvedev hit 21 winners and won 79% of his second-serve return points. The match featured 15 break points. Medvedev broke three times and fended off five of the six break points he faced.
There were 13 break points in the first set. Zverev started the match with an early break in the first game, when Medvedev hit a double fault. Medvedev broke straight back in the second game after three double faults from Zverev.
Medvedev saved five break points to hold serve in a four-deuce third game with a service winner. Zverev fended off two break points in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2 after loose forehands from Medvedev.
The Russian player converted his fourth break point in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead after Zverev made two consecutive double faults. Medvedev hit a forehand winner down the line to advance to a 5-2 lead. Zverev held at 15 in the eighth game for 3-5 before Medvedev closed out the first set 6-3 with a hold at love thanks to a backhand winner.
Zverev held with a service winner in the first game of the second set. Medvedev hit an ace to hold serve at love leveling at 1-1 in the second game.
Medvedev converted his second break point in the seventh game with a loose forehand from Zverev. The 2019 US Open runner-up held serve with a service winner in the eighth game and served for the win at 5-4 when he held serve at love wrapping up the win on his first match point with a backhand crosscourt winner.
“When you play a top 10 opponent in the first match of the tournament, you have to be there all the time. That is what I managed to do, actually. I just lost one service game in the first game of the match. Finally, when you win it, you can say: Okay, that was just the start. I am happy with the performance”, said Medvedev.
