ATP Cincinnati: The quarterfinals are mandatory for Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev has to defend his number one status in the ATP rankings at the ATP Tour 1000 tournament in Cincinnati. To do this, the Russian must reach the quarterfinals.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Aug 14, 2022, 12:37 pm
So far, the 2022 season has been rather semi for Daniil Medvedev, only one tournament victory is noted in the Russian's balance sheet. And that happened a few days ago at the 250 in Los Cabos. A very fine tournament, which of course lacks the reputation of the really big events. Medvedev's display in Montreal was short and sweet, but Nick Kyrgios was certainly one of the most potentially awkward opponents. And lately, Kyrgios is fulfilling his potential as well.
So now Cincinnati. Medvedev goes into the last major tournament before the US Open as number one in the world, where he will then put a lot of pressure on me. But even in Cincinnati, his top position in the ATP charts is on the brink. Namely, should Medvedev fail to reach the quarterfinals and Rafael Nadal win the tournament at the same time, the Spaniard would return to the top of the world rankings. Where he would certainly be in good hands after the triumphs at the Australian Open and in Roland Garros.
Medvedev fails at Nadal in Melbourne
By the way, last year Nadal missed both Cincinnati and the US Open, so there are a lot of points on the road. While Daniil Medvedev has to defend his 2,000 points for his first and only Grand Slam success. As is well known, Rafael Nadal messed up the second: In Melbourne, Medvedev was unable to convert a 2-0 set lead into a win in the final.
At the start in Cincinnati, Medvedev will definitely face an opponent he beat at the Australian Open this year: either Botic van de Zandschulp, whom he defeated in three sets in round three. Or with Maxime Cressy, with whom Medvedev had some problems in the round of 16.