Daniil Medvedev Tops Grigor Dimitrov to Reach First Major Final at US Open
(September 6, 2019) FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – There will be a new US Open finalist this year and it’s going to be 23-year-old Russian Daniil Medvedev.
He defeated No. 78 Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3.
“Today I felt that he was closer to winning the first set, but I won it and that changed the momentum of the match,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview with ESPN.
Although there were some controversies earlier in the tournament, he told the crowd “I love USA.”
The Russian was asked during his news conference to tell the tennis public what type of person he is. “I will not say that I’m a kind person or a good person. I can only say I’m a really calm person in life. I actually have no idea why the demons go out when I play tennis.
“Especially when I was a junior, I had a lot of problems with my attitude. I was not getting defaulted, but I was getting — to have a game penalty was easy.
“I was working hard because every time I do something wrong on the court, I’m sitting with myself, I’m not like this in normal life. Why does it happen? I don’t want it to happen like this.
“So I have been working a lot on it, and I have improved a lot. Sometimes it still happens. But again, talking about normal life, to make me angry, you need to do something crazy for one week in a row. You need to, I don’t know, come to my hotel, knock on my door at 6:00 in the morning for seven days in a row. Then I’m going to be maybe mad a little bit. If not, I’m really calm.”
He’s the first Russian since Marat Safin to reach the final of the US Open back in 2000, when Safin beat Pete Sampras. He’s the first Russian to make a major final two since 2005 when Marat Safin won the Australian Open.
In the first set, Dimitrov recovered from an opening break to draw even at 2-2, Bothe men held steady and the Bulgarian had a set point in the 12th game which could not claim.
In the tiebreak Dimitrov went up 2-0 but could not hold a lead, errors and double faults marred the tiebreak. He double faulted at 3-4 and gave the Russian the lead he needed to take the tiebreak for the first set.
Despite losing the first set, it appeared that Dimitrov had more positive statistics – Grigor Dimitrov hit 14 winners and 15 errors, whileMedvedev hit 7 winners and 18 errors.
“I think the confidence means a lot in this case because I do think he was better player in first set,” said Medvdev.” I do think I was kind of lucky to win it.
“Then the momentum changed completely. I think after I was playing better than him in the next two sets. We had some amazing level, I think.
“Yeah, talking about first set, these crucial points, this moment in my game, there is something strong that makes me win these crazy sets and crazy matches, which maybe two months ago I would have lost, like to David, for example, in Wimbledon.
The ninth and 10th games of the second set proved critical for Dimitrov.
Game 9 of the second set, had 4 deuces. Medvedev won the game on his 5th game point chance. Game 10 had 3 deuces. Dimitrov with 3 game point chances before Medvedev gained a break point chance which he converted into a break to claim the second set.
Nothing could stop Medvedev in the third set, as he jumped out to a 4-1 lead and never looked back, winning the match 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3.
“Good match overall,” Dimitrov said to media in his news conference. “I think it was just a few points here and there. Yeah, three sets to love, but, I mean, the score for me doesn’t justify the match itself.
“I think it was a good level. Overall he played really well, fought hard, a lot of the key points he played well. So, yeah, I mean, I don’t want to be too down on myself. Great weeks. First time in semifinal out here.
“Just going to take a lot of the positives, for sure.”
“I just didn’t play good enough on those key points, especially I think the set point in the first set, I knew what he’s going to do,” the Bulgarian added. “He came up with the goods.
“Second set, again, I was not able to get free points on my serve, or on his for that matter. He used the court pretty well.”
“For sure I’m critical of myself. I think absolutely I could have done better on certain occasions. Again, I don’t want to go too deep right now on myself.”
Medvedev continues a special summer, making four straight hardcourt finals – Washington, Montreal, Cincinnati (winner) and now New York.
He is 20-2 this summer on hardcourts heading into the final. He has the most victories of any man on tour this year at 50.
“This summer’s been, I should say, so fast and long at the same time,” said the Russian. “Long because I’ve played so many matches. At the same time so fast because, as you say, I didn’t have any moment to just sit down and look back and say, Okay, I’ve done amazing things.
“Hopefully I will have some time after Sunday. It’s going to be the last match in USA summer. Of course, deep inside of me, I understand that what I’ve done these four weeks is amazing, even comparing to what I’ve done before.
“Also one more thing: I don’t want to stop. I will always work to be better. I will try to do my best every day.”
The Russian has won 2 tournaments this year and five overall in his career. He’ll move to No. 4 in the world on Monday.
He’ll play No. 2 Rafael Nadal and who beat 24 seed Matteo Berrettini 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-1.
“He’s one of the greatest champions in the history of our sport,” Medvedev said about playing Nadal in the final. “He’s just a machine, a beast on the court. The energy he’s showing is just amazing.
“To play him in your first Grand Slam final should be, I want to say, a funny thing. It’s not going to be a funny thing, but it’s going to be an amazing thing to live.”
Medvedev lost to Nadal in the final of Montreal and talked about the experience.
“It was a tough one. As I actually said, his energy was much higher than mine. He kind of, I would say, eaten me on the court because the start was kind of similar.
“I had one breakpoint, then he got a break, but I only lost with one break. Then he was only going harder, harder, faster, stronger, and I was only going down.
“It’s great that I have this experience playing him in the final of a Masters. I know what to expect. I know how to prepare for it.”
Daniil Delivers. ?
?? @DaniilMedwed beats Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3 to reach his first Grand Slam final. ? @tecnifibre | #FightSmart
?: @usopen pic.twitter.com/JMw32ZrLCY
— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) September 6, 2019
More to follow…..
