Medvedev conquers Shanghai, teenage star Gauff wins first WTA title
SHANGHAI: Daniil Medvedev conceded that he had been “invincible” after he won his fourth title of a spectacular year with a thumping 6-4, 6-1 victory over Alexander Zverev in the Shanghai Masters final yesterday. Victory for the 23-year-old Russian, contesting a sixth final in a row, was more evidence that he is the prime contender to join the “Big Three” of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
The US Open finalist is also able to say that he has finally beaten the German Zverev, another young contender at 22, at the fifth attempt. This was an emphatic statement from the world number four, needing just 74 minutes to seal the crown and failing to drop a set all week. Starting with Washington, DC, in July, the Russian has reached six finals on the spin — including the US Open — winning three of them. Asked in what respect he has improved, Medvedev, who now threatens to usurp Federer at three in the world, said: “I think it’s everything together, something clicked in my game in the US, I don’t know why.
“I think it’s the hard work I’ve been doing, but I started to understand even more about my game, my serve, my volley, my everything, what I have to do when. “At crucial moments I know what I have to do and how I have to play.”
Zverev, long touted as the best of the new generation of men’s tennis stars, was error-prone, but had no complaints. “As I said yesterday, you are probably the best player in the world right now,” the world number six told Medvedev. “How you are playing is unbelievable.” Medvedev made a fast start, winning his service game and then breaking Zverev’s for an early 2-0 lead. Under a closed stadium roof because of rain in Shanghai, Zverev was suffocating, down 3-0 after 11 minutes. But the German sent down an ace to finally get a foothold in the match and then broke back for 3-2. The duo went with serve until Zverev conceded the set with two calamitous double faults on the trot, the last of which he transpired to gift with a horribly mis-hit second serve that drew a few giggles from the crowd.
Meanwhile, in Linz, teenage prodigy Cori Gauff won her first WTA title yesterday following a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 win over Jelena Ostapenko in the final in Linz that saw her hold her first trophy aloft aged 15.
Gauff, who only entered the field as a lucky loser after failing to qualify, completed a dream week in Linz in front of a supportive crowd to become the youngest player to win a WTA event since Czech Nicole Vaidisova, who triumphed in Vancouver and Tashkent two months apart in 2004. “I’ll remember this day for the rest of my life,” the delighted Gauff said after receiving a minutes-long standing ovation from 3,000 spectators. “I had an amazing week and I hope to be back in the future.” Gauff will shoot up from 110 in the rankings into the 80s, according to WTA calculations, after becoming the youngest American to earn a WTA trophy since Jennifer Capriati at Toronto 1991, nearly three decades ago.