Sinner was hunting his first final at the ATP Finals and came into the match having won his last two matches against Medvedev, despite trailing their head-to-head 2-6. The Italian was unbeaten so far in Turin, going 3-0 in the group stage this week, while Medvedev had lost one match to Alcaraz.
That streak looked to continue as he came out swinging against the world No 3. Sinner was under pressure when he was forced to save an early break point but he quickly slammed the door and started turning up the heat on the Medvedev serve instead. With the 2020 ATP Finals champion leading 40-0 in the fourth game of the match, Sinner reeled off five points in a row to secure the break and take a 3-1 lead.
It proved crucial, as the world No 4 went through the motions until he secured the opener 6-3. Medvedev again had the first opportunity to break in the second set with Sinner serving at 3-4. It turned into a tough game for the 22-year-old, lasting almost ten minutes as his first serve suddenly abandoned him.
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But he managed to make it through as the home crowd broke out into chants of his name, with the pressure suddenly back on the Russian. Sinner started painting the lines and took a 0-30 lead in Medvedev’s next service game but the 27-year-old raised his level and became the better player at the back end of the second set.
The Italian forced a tiebreak as the fans chanted “ole, Sinner” again, trying to get their man over the finish line. Medvedev secured the first mini-break as the 22-year-old failed to chase down a drop shot but he immediately relinquished it, sending the ball long. Sinner handed him the advantage again as he dumped the ball into the net on his backhand. It was all Medvedev needed to take the set 7-6(4) to force a decider, though the Russian raised concerns when he left the court with the physio.
The pendulum swung back towards Sinner as he got off to a flying start in the third and final set. Medvedev was immediately in trouble when he went 15-40 down in his opening service game. He saved both break points but Sinner set up a third and a double fault from the world No 3’s racket gifted him the game. Medvedev’s composure started to slip as he threw his racket into the sideboard in the next game, pointing at the crowd and shushing them.
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