Rome Masters 1000: Medvedev won another hot duel against Tsitsipas and entered the final with a little revenge

Surprising on a historically elusive area, Russian Daniel Medvedev on Saturday he beat one of his great rivals, the Greek Stephen Tsitsipasvia fast lane, in two sets (7-5 and 7-5), to seal their ranking at the final of Rome Masters 1,000his first on clay in a tournament of this category and in which the Dane will compete Rune Holgernumber seven in the world.

The semifinal of the Roman tournament wanted it two players with a very particular character, who by the way don’t have a good relationship, will fight for a place in the final in what is already a tennis classic. Of the eleven previous clashes between the two, seven fell on the side of the Russian and four on the side of the Greek. This Saturday the difference increased in favor of the Russian, who celebrated the transition to the final with a unique dance on the floor.

Actually, “peculiar” is a way of saying why the explanation of the Russian’s amazing dance quickly appeared on social media. This particular classic they dispute Medvedev and Tsitsipas Add a new chapter if you remember that the Greek celebrated by dancing when he beat him in September of last year, in Cincinnati. Now it was Daniil’s turn to dance.

The match was always played under the now usual threat of rain that torments the players on this surface and forced the pace of the match to stop in the first set for almost four hours.

Perhaps the Greek was most advantaged by the weather before the match started. First because historically the surface has been an enemy in Medvedev’s career -who has never won a tournament-, and then because the humidity could stop the Muscovite’s powerful forehands.

But even in these circumstances Medvedev has not given up on what it seems a total reconciliation with clay. Not so, however, with Tsitsipas, with whom he did not salute or pose for the official photo before the meeting, giving another example of their bad relationship.

it started very strong Medvedevwith a ‘break’ in the first game that he confirmed with his serve in the next but that sun gave him an advantage for a limited time, because Tsitsipas reacted and managed to make the break to level the match at 4-4 before the rain took the look to break the game.

There was an attempt to restart three hours later, Tsitsipas played his game (5-4) and stopped again due to rain. The Muscovite and the Greek return to the central field of the Foro Italico an hour later, even if it seems that only one Medvedev really succeeded. signed three games in a row take the first bet with a double fault by Tsitsipas included.

And it is that the Hellene seemed to have something bothering him on his bench. It was for several moments turning to his relatives rather annoyed Until his mother He left that area to take a seat in the free stands, apparently for speaking in Russian, his mother tongue, which annoyed the Greek tennis player who reproached him for saying that his rival understood him.

THE distraction The fact that his bench put him to the test penalized him at the beginning of the second set, which started identically to the first, with a ‘break’ by Medvedev on the first serve which brought him back two games during the set. Even if still for a limited time, because Tsitsipas, acclaimed by the public, recovered and returned the break in the sixth game, which he confirmed with his serve, taking the lead 4-3.

The Greek’s problem is that he had a competitor he had never met before, a Medvedev who seems to have adapted to clay and which flows, at least in Rome, almost like concrete. The Russian didn’t let himself be intimidated, he grit his teeth, accelerated and broke again to reach 6-5 and with his serve.

The victory did not escape the hands of Medvedev, who, happy with his passage to the final, celebrated with a dance on the court the failed point of his rival, who went long, and which meant his qualification for the first final of his career on clay beaten in a tournament of this category, in which you will measure Rune, the revelation of the tournament.