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Daniil Medvedev on Friday reached his second consecutive ATP Masters 1000 final when he clawed past Karen Khachanov 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3 at the Miami Open.
The fourth seed will meet Jannik Sinner in the championship match on Sunday in his fifth consecutive final. When Medvedev led 5-3 in the opening set of their match inside Hard Rock Stadium, he had a chance to end it but failed to convert a set point on service, allowing Khachanov to break back. To win the first set, Medvedev recovered fast and took advantage of his opponent's missed forehand at 5/4 in the tie-break of the opening set. Khachanov soared into a 3-0 lead as Medvedev struggled to regain the same enthusiasm after leaving the court after the first set to change clothes. The 14th seed kept up the pressure, hitting 17 wins and four unforced errors in the second set to tie the match. With a third set left to decide the match, it was Medvedev who found a way, winning 82 per cent (14/17) of his first-serve points in the set to reach his eighth ATP Masters 1000 final. "I think I made six finals [in a row] in 2019, so I have some margin. It is a pity it is clay season after, but I will try. I am really happy with my results so far but it is not over. Final on Sunday and I have to be at my best to try to win it," ATP.com quoted Medvedev as saying. "I have to believe in myself. I know I am capable of winning big titles. I know I can play well and beat anybody. Carlos is on fire right now but you can't win 100 matches in a row. At one moment someone is going to put the water on the fire. It might be Sinner today, it might be me on Sunday, it might be someone else next tournament. You have to believe in yourself. You have to try your best. I am going to enjoy their match and be prepared for the winner," he added. "In my opinion, it was a top match. In the first set when we lost our serves, it was just a good game from the returner. In the second set, I had one bad game and he won the set. I had one break point, I could have done better. He had a breakpoint in the first game of the third set, I managed to play well. He had one bad game in the third set, I managed to take it and I am really happy to be through. It was a very tough match," Medvedev said. Khachanov wanted to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final since winning the Paris Masters in 2018. Khachanov claimed that, despite Friday's defeat, there was little difference between winning and losing in the high-calibre quarterfinal match. "To be honest with you, I think it was really one of the greatest matches lately. I felt from the beginning until the end in terms of level, in terms of speed, intensity, attitude, everything, from the beginning till the end... It was a really, really close, equal match," Khachanov said. "I must say it's maybe a little bit unlucky in a way, but of course [Daniil] deserves totally to win," Khachanov said. "I think both of us really showed our best today. We fought hard. I mean, we gave [a] good match for the crowd," he said. (ANI)
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