ATP World Tour Finals 2021 Results: Daniil Medvedev's Win Highlights Sunday's Action
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev opened the 2021 ATP Finals on Sundayย with a group-stage tilt againstย Hubert Hurkacz.
Sunday's other match saw Alexander Zverev take on Matteo Berrettini, who was likely to have a partisan crowd crowd behind him.
Here's how the action unfolded in Turin, Italy.
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Sunday Results
No. 2 Daniil Medvedev def. No. 7 Hubert Hurkacz 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4
No. 3 Alexander Zverev def. No. 6 Matteo Berrettini 7-6(7), 1-0(ret.)
Monday Schedule
No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 8 Casper Ruud
No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. No. 5 Andrey Rublev
Sunday Recap
Medvedev and Hurkacz split their first two meetings this season, the latter prevailing at Wimbledon before the former gained a measure of revenge in the National Bank Open. In both cases, the matches went the distance, and the ATP Finals featured another tight contest.
Neither Medvedev nor Hurkacz could make a breakthrough in the first set.ย Not only did they hold serve for the first 12 games, but they also failed to yield a single break-point opportunity.
Hurkacz quickly gained control in the tiebreaker, jumping ahead 6-2.ย Medvedev reeled off three straight points to make things interesting before the Polish star claimed the opening frame.
Medvedev turned the tables early in the second set. He brokeย Hurkaczย in the third game en route to taking a 3-0 lead. That break was all he needed to even the match.
The same story played out in the decisive set.
Hurkaczย fell behind 15-40 on serve in the first game and couldn't preventย Medvedev from gaining a pivotal break.ย The Russian proceeded to register three aces and win all but three of his 23 service points.
Fittingly,ย Hurkacz hit a backhand return into the net on match point to seal the result.
It looked like Zverev andย Berrettini were going to treat the fans to another dramatic back-and-forth match.
Down 5-6, Zverev was serving to stay alive in the first set. He had to stave off two set points before holding and forcing a tiebreaker. On the 16th point of the tiebreak, the 24-year-old German was finally able to edge out Berrettini.
In the second game of the second set, the Italian appeared to tweak something in his abdomen. He dropped his racket and put his head in his hands.
Berrettini attempted to continue following a medical timeout. But it was clearly in pain as he served and followed up with a forehand. He gestured to signal he couldn't continue and that was all she wrote.
The injury obviously placesย Berrettini's continued involvement in the ATP Finals in jeopardy. If he's unable to compete in his next match, Jannik Sinner would take his place as the first alternate.
Sinner's promotion would at least give the local fans in Turin another Italian to get behind for the remainder of the tournament.
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