After losing their opening matches on Monday, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev are both vying for their first wins of the week. And they are far from close friends, with their contention for each other often erupting on court.
Wednesday’s other singles match sees Andrey Rublev and Novak Djokovic battle to remain undefeated in the Red Group.
Each day, this preview will analyze the most intriguing matchup, while highlighting the other matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play begins at 11:30am local time.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (2) vs. Daniil Medvedev (4) – Not Before 9:00pm
It’s the 2019 champion against the 2020 champion. Both have had solid yet unspectacular years. Tsitsipas is now 59-23, though he’s only claimed two titles in seven finals. And Stefanos only reached the second week at two of four Majors. Medvedev is 45-17, also with only two titles. And following his heartbreaking loss to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final, he did not advance beyond the round of 16 at another Major, though he was notably absent from Wimbledon.
Medvedev claimed their first five meetings, including their first one four years ago in Miami which ended with some heated words from Daniil regarding bathroom breaks and net cords. But Tsitsipas has now taken three of their last five. At this year’s Australian Open, Medvedev’s complaints regarding Stefanos’ father’s illegal coaching lead to an official being placed by the Greek’s box to prevent further coaching. Daniil would go on to win that match in four sets. And of course, that match included the infamous “small cat” episode.
Three years ago at this event is when Tsitsipas earned his first victory over Medvedev. And in their most recent clash, a few months ago on a similarly fast hard court in Cincinnati, Stefanos again prevailed. Tsitsipas appears to be in slightly better form than Medvedev, so I give Stefanos the slight edge to come out on top.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Andrey Rublev (6) vs. Novak Djokovic (7) – Rublev defeated Medvedev on Monday in a third-set tiebreak, while Djokovic overcame Tsitsipas in straight sets. They have split two previous meetings, with Novak taking the only one on a hard court, which was at this event a year ago.
Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski (1) vs. Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic (4) – It’s the best men’s doubles team of this year against the best team from last year. Koolhof and Skupski won seven titles this season, while Mektic and Pavic won nine last season. These teams played twice in 2022, both times on clay, and with both matches going to Mektic and Pavic.
Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajiceck (5) vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios (8) – These are the two losing teams from Monday, both fighting to stay in semifinal contention. This past March in Indian Wells, the Australians defeated Dodig and Krajicek.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
