Medvedev Clinches 1st Masters 1000 Title in Cincinnati

Daniil Medvedev continued his sensational hard-court form this year by winning the biggest title of his career at the Cincinnati Masters, producing a ruthless performance to overcome Belgian David Goffin 7-6 6-4 in the final.

Medvedev has been one of the most consistent performers this year, leading the tour for number of match wins (with 44 wins) and will now move up to a career high 5th in the ATP Rankings, as well as greatly improving his chances to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals. The victory did not come easy for Medvedev, who was playing his 17th match in just 3 weeks after making back to back finals in Washington and Montreal. Also standing in his way was an in-form David Goffin, the man who knocked Medvedev out of Wimbledon this year in a 5-set thriller.

However, Medvedev fought past both his opponent and fatigue to clinch victory, losing just 3 points on serve in the 2nd set.

“It’s hard to find words, it’s the hard work I’ve been putting in. It would not be good to lose three finals in a row, so I’m really happy about this. I started cramping at 5-3, actually. It was the first time I cramped in three weeks. I made four serves he didn’t return and it was unbelievable.”

Medvedev has now won at least one ATP 250, ATP 500 and Masters 1000 title, but has yet to make an impact at the Grand Slams, with his best performance at a slam coming at this year’s Australian Open, where he made the 4th Round. However, Medvedev will be seeded 5th in Flushing Meadows this year meaning he can’t run into another top 8 seed until the quarter-final stage at the earliest. With this, and the good form that Medvedev has displayed recently, Medvedev looks likely to improve upon his run at the Australian Open this year.

Despite not claiming his first Masters 1000 title, Goffin can be proud of his efforts this week, which will see his ranking move up to 15, just 8 spots off his career high ranking of 7. Goffin struggled with injuries in 2018 after an amazing 2017 season and is still trying to get back to his best. This week will have gone a long way in helping him achieve that.

Written by Emre Saridogan