Former champion Daniil Medvedev defeated ATP Finals newcomer Alex de Minaur on Tuesday, rebounding from an early loss and boosting his chances of making the knockout stage. The Russian, who lost his first group-stage encounter to Taylor Fritz, defeated De Minaur in Turin 6-2, 6-4, putting his opponent on the verge of elimination. If the other tie in the Ilie Nastase Group featuring Jannik Sinner and Fritz goes to three sets later on Tuesday, Australian De Minaur will be eliminated with one match remaining.
Medvedev, who won the title in 2020, faced no break points and broke De Minaur’s serve three times. The fourth seed will meet Sinner, the world number one and championship favorite, on Thursday.
“If I lose, the season ends; if I win, I’ll get another chance on Thursday… I’ll attempt to do the same in the next match, so I’m not concerned.” Both players fought for holds in their first service games, but Medvedev broke for a 2-1 lead and never looked back.
He had 16 victories in the opening set and only dropped two points behind his serve in the second. A break in the ninth game of the third set was decisive, and he sealed the victory with another comfortable hold.