Yet to pick up a title in 2022, Daniil Medvedev seems intent on rectifying that record this week at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
The World No. 2 ended Adrian Mannarino’s eight-match winning streak at the ATP 250 event with a 7-5, 7-5 victory on Saturday to book a championship match appointment with Dutch wild card Tim Van Rijthoven.
A feature of Medvedev’s performances this week in the Netherlands has been his ability to find a way to win even when struggling for rhythm. The win over Mannarino was again more solid than spectacular, but Medvedev will be delighted with the way he handled a genuine grass-court threat in the shape of the flat-hitting Frenchman.
“Adrian plays good and some games in this match I was like, OK, I can’t do anything,” said Medvedev in his on-court interview. “I had to just continue playing my tennis. He was unbelievable sometimes, missing sometimes, so I just continued my game and it managed to work today.”
Should Medvedev defeat No. 205-ranked Van Rijthoven in Sunday’s final, it will give the 26-year-old a double cause for celebration. Regardless of the result, he will reclaim the No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday when rankings points from 2021 Roland Garros drop.
“Last time I saw him was in juniors,” said Medvedev. “Probably we saw each other last when we 18 years old and he was always playing good on grass, so I’m not surprised. It’s a surface where sometimes we have these sensations. He’s a great player so I’m ready for a big fight tomorrow.
“It would be great [to win] but it is never easy. I have to show my best tennis. Even if I lose, I have no regrets, but of course I will try my best. Every time you are in a final you want to win.”
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A topsy-turvy opening set featured five breaks of serve, with Mannarino’s aggressive style keeping the top seed alert, but it was Medvedev who made the crucial move. The 26-year-old broke for a third time when leading 6-5 to clinch the set after a below-bar service game from the Mannarino.
The second set also appeared to be narrowly going Medvedev’s way as his impressive defence secured a break in the fifth game that gave him the chance to serve for the match at 5-4, but Mannarino’s consistent ballstriking and ability to skim clean winners off the grass pegged the top seed back to 5-5.
A mammoth 11th game on the Mannarino serve followed that ultimately proved decisive for Medvedev to secure victory. He broke the Frenchman’s resistance by converting his fourth break point of the game before serving out to complete a one-hour, 56-minute victory.
The win avenged Medvedev’s second-round loss to Mannarino in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2016 and reduced his deficit in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series to 2-3. Medvedev is hunting the second grass-court title of his career this week, having lifted the trophy at the Mallorca Championships in 2021.
Source Tennis – ATP World Tour
