Tennis News • Medvedev Mania Rolls On With ATP Rolex Shanghai Masters Title

By Ricky Dimon

“Boom. Done.”

That’s how Daniil Medvedev says he is going about his business at the moment, and he is not wrong.

A red-hot Medvedev delivered another clinical performance and once again picked up a straight-set victory as he prevailed over Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-1 in the final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Sunday. Playing in a sixth consecutive title match, the 23-year-old Russian completed his flawless trek though the penultimate Masters 1000 event of the year by triumphing in one hour and 13 minutes.

Medvedev’s hot streak includes two Masters 1000 titles (also in St. Petersburg), another winner’s trophy in St. Petersburg, runner-up finishes in Washington, D.C., Montreal, and at the U.S. Open, and a 29-3 overall record with setbacks only against Rafael Nadal (twice) and Nick Kyrgios. He is 59-17 overall in 2019, leading the ATP in total wins, hard-court wins, and Masters 1000 wins.

“This one is also amazing because Shanghai I think is one of the most prestigious Masters on the tour,” the world No. 4 explained. “Especially in the past 10 years there were only three players who managed to win this one, so it’s really special to have my photo in the corridor over the next many years…. It’s something outrageous that I’ve done in the past few months and I have been working for it. But it is how it is, I just take it and I hope I’m going to do much more.”

Medvedev is just a little more than 1000 points behind Roger Federer in the rankings and he is up to third in the 2019 race, trailing only Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

“Everybody is talking that they need new guys, something new, so I gave them something new. I don’t celebrate my wins. I just stay calm; I do my job. Boom. Done.”

Medvedev made his job easy in Shanghai, winning all of his matches in straight sets–also over Cameron Norrie, Vasek Pospisil, Fabio Fognini, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

“He’s a different player now,” said Zverev, who was 4-0 lifetime in the head-to-head series with Medvedev heading into Sunday. “You can’t compare. I feel like I’m playing well; I feel like I’m on a very good path again. But obviously I have to be on this path for a longer period of time, I think. But making the final of a Masters is huge for me right now, and I’m very happy about that.”

The sixth-ranked German is in position to join Nadal, Djokovic, Medvedev, Federer, Dominic Thiem, and Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Nitto ATP Finals in London for a defense of his 2018 title. He leads No. 8 Matteo Berrettini (lost to Zverev in the Shanghai semis) and is 370 points clear of No. 9 Roberto Bautista Agut.

Seeds
1. Novak Djokovic: l. to Tsitsipas in QF
2. Roger Federer: l. to Zverev in QF
3. Daniil Medvedev: d. Zverev in F4. Dominic Thiem: l. to Berrettini in QF5. Alexander Zverev: l. to Medvedev in F
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas: l. to Medvedev in SF
7. Karen Khachanov: l. to Fognini in R3
8. Roberto Bautista Agut: l. to Berrettini in R39. Gael Monfils: l. to Hurkacz in R210. Fabio Fognini: l. to Medvedev in QF11. Matteo Berrettini: l. to Zverev in SF
12. Borna Coric: l. to Rublev in R1
13. David Goffin: l. to Federer in R3
14. Diego Schwartzman: l. to Pospisil in R115. Nikoloz Basilashvili: l. to. Thiem in R3
16. John Isner: l. to Djokovic in R3

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.