“That’s what champions do,” Daniil Medvedev lauds opponent Jannik Sinner before a much-awaited clash at the Miami Masters

World No. 4 Daniil Medvedev is into his second semi-final in Miami as he defeats Nicolas Jarry in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Miami Masters. The defending champ won the match 6-2, 7-6 (7). He will now take on Jannik Sinner in a repeat of last year’s finals, with the Italian in hot form right now. 

Medvedev‘s win over Jarry was his fourth consecutive straight-set victory this week. He is now unbeaten in nine matches at the tournament (one walkover), having dropped a set only once during the run. Although he has been tested in tiebreakers, he has managed to bring out his clutch game to emerge victorious. 

Jarry made a late charge in the match and looked to take the second set. The Chilean didn’t allow any breakpoint chances in the second set. He rather created the only chance of the entire second set, but Medvedev defended it successfully. 

It all came down to the tiebreaker, where things remained tight initially. The Russian, however, got hold of him and closed it at 9–7. It is his 18th win of the season in 21 matches. As he now prepares to take on Sinner, the Russian has only words of praise for the young Italian. 

Sinner had staged a comeback for ages earlier this year when he defeated Medvedev in the finals of the 2024 Australian Open. The Italian had lost the first two sets, yet managed to beat the former US Open champ. Despite the gut-wrenching defeat, the former World No. 1 didn’t hold any grudges. 

Well he is playing better and better. He is confident. In some matches, you look on TV and he is maybe a little bit in trouble, but he manages to find solutions and that's what champions do. It's a great challenge for me to continue improving my game and I will try to show my 100% and go for it. It's not gonna be easy.

said Medvedev during his on-court interview.

Daniil Medvedev praises the Chilean fans for great atmosphere ahead of the semis clash with Jannik Sinner

With Medvedev not always the crowd favorite, he admitted to being prepared for it against Jarry. The World No. 23 brought in the Chilean fans, who created a fantastic atmosphere in the stadium. Medvedev expressed his gratitude, but not without taking a sly dig. 

To be honest, I was ready for it and I was expecting worse. When I say worse, I mean in a way more Chilean fans supporting him. I should say it was a pretty good atmosphere. I felt like there were a lot of people cheering for me - probably not Chilean guys, but yeah I felt good on the court. 

Commented Medvedev on the fans in the stadium.

As he now prepares for his semi-final clash with Sinner, there’s a lot to talk about. The Sinner-Medvedev rivalry has been quite interesting so far. The Russian initially dominated the rivalry, massively racing to a 6-0 lead in their head-to-head. This included his final wins in Rotterdam and Miami in 2023. 

After losing six on the trot, Sinner has started a winning streak of his own, having won the last four consecutive matches. He avenged the two final defeats in the 2023 season itself. The Italian first beat Medvedev in the China Open and followed it by defeating him to win the title in Vienna. 

He then got the better of him in the semis of the 2023 ATP Finals too. Although the head-to-head is 6-4 in Medvedev’s favor, in all fairness, Sinner has a good chance to reduce the deficit further. But with the added motivation of avenging the loss in Melbourne and reaching another Miami final, Medvedev will also not back down. 

In case you missed it:

• WATCH: Jannik Sinner hits the physiotherapist with a powerful groundstroke at the Miami Open!
• Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka’s participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics sees an update from the IOC

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