Shanghai Rolex Masters 2019 Final: Medvedev vs. Zverev Score, Reaction
Daniil Medvedev produced another masterful performance to beat Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-1 and claim the 2019ย Shanghai Rolex Masters title on Sunday.
The No. 3 seed finished the job in 73 minutes at theย Qizhong Forest Sports City Arenaย to win his ninth match on the bounce, all of them in straight sets.
Zverev, 22, was largely outplayed except for his brief rally from 3-0 down in the first set.
Medvedev's combination of aggression, variation and opportunism saw him claim a deserved victory for his fourth title of the seasonโand third in four tournaments:
Medvedev, 23, went into Sunday's final having never beaten Zverev in four previous meetings.
He came flying out the blocks with a quick hold and an early break, as he used his drop shot to great effect.
After consolidating the break and going 3-0 up, though, the world No. 4 lost the next three games as Zverev worked his way into the match with some big hitting.
Despite losing his 3-0 lead,ย Medvedev remained impressively aggressive, winning the seventh game of the match with a huge forehand down the line.
More clinical serving from the Russian forced Zverev to serve to stay in the set, and the No. 5 seed cracked.ย At 30-30, the German served his first double fault of the match, only to produce another one immediately after to giftย Medvedev the opening set:
Those mistakes clearly troubled Zverev, and Medvedev took full advantage as he built a commanding lead in the second set.ย He produced a huge serve to save a break point in the opening game of the second, broke from 40-0 down for 2-0 and held in the face of some big Zverev hitting for 3-0.
This time, Medvedev did not give away his advantage. He produced a miraculous forehand at the end of a mammoth rally to earn another break point, which he took at the net for a 4-0 lead:
And an easy hold left Zverev staring down the barrel of a bagel.
That was avoided when he found some form with the ball in hand, but it did not prompt an unlikely comeback.ย Medevdev served out for his second title in a row, fittingly taking the first of two championship points with an ace.
