Medvedev and De Minaur went toe-to-toe from the baseline for almost two hours on Friday night, grinding through long rallies with very little between them. But Medvedev was able to sneak out the only break of serve in the first set, at 3-2, as well as the only break of the second set for 5-4—clinching that one with a huge down-the-line backhand—en route to the straight-set victory.
The former No. 1’s match stats were just that much cleaner, too, as he finished with a positive 27 winners to 25 unforced errors, while De Minaur had 16 winners to 27 unforced errors on the day.
The biggest number may have been break points, though—they both brought up six break point opportunities in the match, but while Medvedev converted on two, De Minaur went 0/6.
“I knew against Alex we were going to have long points, and in the third or fourth game we had a couple, and I was like, ‘Damn, that’s going to be a long day,'” Medvedev said in his on-court interview.
“But I’m happy with the way I played. I was really clutch in the important moments. I was hitting the ball great. I was putting him under pressure many times. The second set was tough, tight, and I managed to bring the best of me in the last two games.
“I’m really happy with the level.”
