Medvedev Races Ahead In London

Daniil Medvedev took the early advantage after a grueling opening set against Rafael Nadal on Wednesday at the Nitto ATP Finals. The Russian grabbed the opening set 7-6(3) after 57 minutes.

The Spaniard saved the lone break point of the opening set at 3-4 with a passing shot winner. Both players remained even until midway through the tie-break, when Medvedev leaned into a forehand for a 5/3 mini-break advantage. Two points later, a big first serve from Medvedev gave him the early lead. He finished the set with 16 winners to eight unforced errors.

Nadal holds a 2-0 lead in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Medvedev. Both wins came this year in title matches at the Coupe Rogers and US Open. They are both looking for their first win of the week in Group Andre Agassi.

Nadal is also looking to finish as year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings for the fifth time. If the Spaniard defeats Medvedev, then Novak Djokovic must win the title in order to finish as year-end No. 1 for a record-tying sixth time.

Medvedev is seeking his 60th tour-level win of the season (59-18). He’s won 29 of his past 34 matches, including his first two ATP Masters 1000 titles at the Western & Southern Open (d. Goffin) and Rolex Shanghai Masters (d. Zverev), in addition to a maiden crown on home soil at the St. Petersburg Open (d. Coric).

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