After missing six months due to an injury, Alexander Zverev returned to action at the Diriyah Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia. Former world no. 2 faced Dominic Thiem in the opening match and beat his great friend in two match tie breaks.
The German set the quarter-final clash against Daniil Medvedev and ended his campaign following a 6-0, 6-4 loss. Medvedev sealed the deal in an hour and 32 minutes to find himself in the last four. The opening three games could have gone either way, and the Russian grabbed the crucial points to open a 3-0 gap and gain a boost.
Daniil injured his left calf while chasing a drop shot at deuce in the sixth game, but it was nothing serious. Medvedev came from 3-1 down in the second set to seal the deal before the match tie break. The Russian broke five times and saved two out of three break chances to control the result.
Zverev wasted a break chance in the encounter’s first game after a terrible forehand and netted another in game two to offer Medvedev two break chances.
Daniil Medvedev defeated Alexander Zverev in straight sets in Saudi Arabia.
The German played another wayward forehand on the second to lose serve and fall 2-0 behind.
Alexander wasted a break chance in game three with, you guessed, a forehand mistake and found himself 3-0 down after Daniil’s cracking forehand down the line winner. Medvedev grabbed his second break with a forehand return winner in game four and moved 5-0 up with a service winner in the next one.
Alexander fended off a set point in game six with a service winner, squandered a game point and faced the second set point. The German saved it, and the Russian asked for a medical timeout due to a calf injury. He continued and earned the third set point and clinched it after Zverev’s forehand mistake for a 6-0 in 40 minutes.
Daniil held at the start of the second set with a service winner, and Alexander finally grabbed his first game in the next one, making a proper celebration out of it. Medvedev squandered a game point in the third game and dropped a 34-stroke exchange after Zverev’s volley winner at the net to fall 2-1 behind.
Alexander held after deuce in the next one to cement the break and settle into a fine rhythm. The German placed a forehand wide in the sixth game to drop serve and allow the Russian to level the score at 3-3 and gain a boost.
Medvedev held at love in game seven, and Zverev took the next one with an unreturned serve for 4-4. Daniil clinched the ninth game at love, and Alexander served to stay in the match. Zverev sprayed a backhand error and faced three match points. He placed a backhand wide on the first to lose serve and propel Medvedev over the finish line.
