Daniil Medvedev vs. Jannik Sinner has been one of the best rivalries on tour in 2023 and it will add another chapter in the final of the Erste Bank Open on Sunday.
Medvedev is completely dominating the overall head-to-head series 6-1, but it has been competitive this year. The Russian prevailed 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in Rotterdam final and 7-5, 6-3 in the Miami final before Sinner finally got on the scoreboard with a 7-6(2), 7-6(2) victory to take the title in Beijing.
These two red-hot competitors have played their way into yet another championship match in Vienna. Sinner has been especially dominant this week, as he did not drop a single set against Ben Shelton, Lorenzo Sonego, Frances Tiafoe, or Andrey Rublev. The fourth-ranked Italian is now 55-14 this season and 11-1 since the U.S. Open.
Medvedev is 64-14 for his 2023 campaign with five tittles–two Masters 1000s, two 500s, and a 250. The world No. 3 also finished runner-up at the U.S. Open and has not slowed down in the fall, with his final appearance in Beijing and Vienna victories over Arthur Fils, Grigor Dimitrov, Karen Khachanov, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Both Dimitrov and Khachanov forced final sets and Tsitsipas pushed Medvedev to 8-6 in the second-set tiebreaker on Saturday.
“I served well throughout the whole match,” Medvedev said after getting past Tsitsipas. “In general I am happy with how I served and put pressure on him on a lot of points. I had a lot of opportunities and he played well on them also. Generally, this pressure paid off at the end of the match.
“I have played Jannik already three times (in finals this season),” he reflected. “[He has had an] amazing year. Jannik is finishing really strong.”
That’s an understatement, too, as nobody is hotter than Sinner right now–at least given that Novak Djokovic has played only match since the U.S. Open. The 22-year-old has been the best player all week long, basically has home-court advantage in Vienna, and is also armed with confidence following his long-awaited win over Medvedev in Beijing. Look for Sinner to finish the week off in style.
Pick: Sinner in 3
who ya got?
Those 2 are the best….Sinner in 3.
Daniil in 3
Of course, Sinner.
Picked Sinner in my bracket challenge!