Shanghai Masters: Medvedev Reaches Sixth Final in a Row

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Shanghai, Oct 12 (AFP/APP): Daniil Medvedev reached a staggering sixth final in a row as he defeated fellow rising star Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Shanghai Masters on Saturday.

The US Open finalist from Russia plays Alexander Zverev of Germany or Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in Sunday’s decider as the next generation takes centre stage in China. The 23-year-old Medvedev, who has lifted three titles in a breakthrough 2019, beat Greece’s Tsitsipas 7-6 (7/5), 7-5.

Medvedev has now seen off the 21-year-old — who defeated world number one Novak Djokovic on Friday — in all five of their matches. “It’s something I could never have dreamed of,” the world number four said of his sixth final on the trot. “I want to keep the momentum going and hopefully make it to seven or eight.”

The history was with Medvedev but there was nothing in it as he and Tsitsipas entered the first-set tie break after 43 minutes of high-quality tennis. Seventh-ranked Tsitsipas blinked first, gifting set point when he shanked a forehand and then doing the same moments later to put the Russian a set up.

Medvedev broke the Greek — who repeatedly tried to gee up the crowd — in the third game of the second set. The Russian served for the match at 5-4, only for Tsitsipas to dig in and break for 5-5, before Medvedev did likewise.

Tsitsipas smacked the ball out the court in a rage, before Medvedev sealed the semi-final win in the 12th game of the second set.

“Same vibes, same thing all over again,” said Tsitsipas of yet another defeat to the Russian. “I don’t mean to be rude at all, but it’s just boring. “It’s so boring that I hate myself for putting myself into that kind of situation where I have to play in his own terms and not in my terms.”

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