Google News ATP Rotterdam: Daniil Medvedev beats Sinner to win the title, the HIGHLIGHTS
by LORENZO CIOTTI
Daniil Medvedev is the winner of the ATP tournament in Rotterdam. Jannik Sinner's streak of consecutive successes stops at seven after the success in Montpellier. The Russian, with two faces blocked the way for the blue talent in the Rotterdam final.
He is inaccurate in the first set, practically perfect between the second and third fractions. Medvedev thus wins the sixteenth title of his career and returns to occupy at least box number nine in the ranking. Few recriminations for the blue tennis player, who confirms himself to be ultra-competitive indoors, perhaps a little too anchored to a tactical plan that malfunctions against an opponent who, after a false start, practically eliminates unforced errors from the project and wins almost 75% points with the first ball.
In a completely theoretical line before the adventure in North America, the talent should stop in Marseille for the last appointment under the roofs of this segment of the season. The Russian tennis player, incredibly passive from the baseline, pays in the fourth game for the poor performance of the first ball and above all for a Sinner who dictates the pace in prolonged exchanges without particular difficulties.
Needless to say, he settles a first shoulder to the match and splashes on 4-1. Yes, he spoils a 40-15 lead, but cancels the break point which he makes available to the Russian with a splendid short ball and then finds the first ball again in his moment of need.
Called to guard the lead accumulated in the first part of the match, Sinner only gets out of trouble halfway through the seventh game. He erases a 15-30 deficit with a jump smash, but tries an awkward short ball at 30-30 which Medvedev reads perfectly.
In an attempt to get out of the exchange on the left diagonal at 30-40, the blue talent loses control of his backhand on the long line and puts his opponent back on track. The quality of the Russian tennis player's game is growing exponentially, not a problem for Sinner.
Surgical on 5-5 and especially on 6-5. Medvedev recovers from 0-30, with Sinner who also takes advantage of a lucky ribbon at 40-30 and hooks up the last two points of the fraction practically perfectly. The dynamics during the second half change.
Obviously. Medvedev reacts, immediately puts his head forward and substantially eliminates unforced errors from the technical project. In a rather prolonged moment of rupture, Sinner tries to punch from the baseline without particular results.
Medvedev gets a second break, allows himself a break at 4-1, but still comes back from 0-40 and doesn't make any more particular changes to the script until 6-2. With the petrol needle visibly close to zero, Sinner tries in every way to hold on to the game.
Even if he immediately leaves the service on the street. The blue talent gets a ball for the counterbreak at 2-1. Medvedev, very lucid, cancels it with a splendid backhand solution in advance and albeit with some shivers - always near the net - builds the game ball and survives yet another extended rally on the left diagonal. Below the highlights: