Daniil Medvedev showcased plenty of physical and mental endurance Sunday to claim victory at the ABN AMRO Open, where the sixth seed defeated Jannik Sinner 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in the championship match at the indoor ATP 500 event in Rotterdam.
Medvedev had to retain his composure after dropping a hard-fought opening set in the Netherlands. Montpellier champion Sinner started aggressively in his pursuit of back-to-back ATP Tour titles, but Medvedev responded by digging deep, dialling in on serve and frequently defying the Italian with some outstanding defence to improve his lead in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series to 6-0.
“I first came here in [2018] and I straightaway loved it here,” said Medvedev, who now holds a 10-4 record in Rotterdam, at the trophy ceremony. “I love coming back here. The last two times I played here were terrible and I’m happy to make it better this year.”
With his two-hour, 29-minute win, Medvedev secured his 16th tour-level title, 15 of which have been won on hard courts. He will return to the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday as a result of his triumph, with the 27-year-old set to leapfrog Hubert Hurkacz and Holger Rune to No. 9.
After his semi-final win against Tallon Griekspoor, Sinner revealed plans to speak to his team to devise a plan for Sunday’s final that would help avoid a repeat of his past struggles against Medvedev. Although the Italian was still required to go toe to toe in extended baseline exchanges with the sixth seed, he also frequently ventured forward to try and disrupt his opponent’s rhythm.
Those tactics paid off early as Sinner clinched a gripping opening set at the Rotterdam Ahoy. Although Medvedev rallied by winning three games in a row from 1-4, some stunning all-court play from Sinner earned him another crucial break in the 12th game to clinch a set in which he won 12 from 17 points at the net.
Yet that disappointment barely seemed to impact Medvedev, who engineered an immediate momentum shift. His relentless hitting off both wings forced Sinner into some early errors in the second set, and he broke the Italian in the first game en route to levelling the match.
Two further breaks of serve for Medvedev followed in the decider as Sinner, who was chasing his eighth win in the space of 10 days after lifting his first title of the season in Montpellier last week, appeared to tire. Medvedev went on to complete victory after converting five of his 12 break points and hitting just 17 unforced errors to Sinner’s 30.
“Daniil, congrats to you and your team, winning your first title of this season,” said Sinner, who will rise two spots to No. 12 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday. “I think you’re going to win many more this year, so I wish you all the best… It has been two positive weeks for me. I played many matches and I’m very proud.”
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