Daniil Medvedev begins his ATP Finals title bid with a commanding victory over Andrey Rublev

After losing third-set tie-breaks in each of his Nitto ATP Finals matches last season, Daniil Medvedev bounced back with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Andrey Rublev in his 2023 opener.

The close friends wowed the Turin crowd with a thrilling match full of lung-busting rallies, with Medvedev saving seven break points in the first set — all in his final two service games — before dominating from the start in set two.

"I felt good and I managed to put it on the court. First set was really tough. I managed to just get a little bit the upper hand on the most clutch moments, and this helped me in the second, so I'm really happy." Medvedev said post-match.

The result extended Medvedev's lead in tour-level wins (65) and hard-court wins (48) this season, and it was the perfect start to his bid to equal Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz with six tour-level titles this season.

Rublev fought off four early break points before dropping serve at 3-3, breaking the pattern of rock-solid tennis from both players for much of the set. Rublev's level rose from there to threaten on return, but Medvedev summoned big serves time and again, eventually finishing the set in a marathon six-deuce game.

Set two was less complicated, with Medvedev breaking in the first game and not facing a break point in the entire set. The straight-sets victory propels the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion to the top of the Red Group, where Alexander Zverev is also 1-0 after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the afternoon.

Rublev will look to rebound against Alcaraz on Wednesday. Medvedev will face Zverev on Wednesday, with first place in the group on the line.

SportsLigue