The Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati has new rulers. Daniil Medvedev and Madison Keys have won their respective tournaments and reached their most prestigious trophies in career. It could be said that neither of these two players was in the focus of the bookmakers and the punters before the start of the tournament, but eventually, they held on.
Medvedev defeated David Goffin in the finals with 2:0, by sets 7-6, 6-4 after 98 minutes. The Russian has finally won one final, after losing two straight at the US Open tour, in Washington and Montreal.
This is his first ATP 1000 Masters and the fifth title in general, but there is no doubt that it is the most important one. In the last 20 days, Medvedev played 18 matches, and above all, the new Cinci champion is looking for some rest.
“I’ve been playing for so many days in a row,” Medvedev said. “I just need to stay in bed and watch TV for 24 hours a day. I hope to get to the US Open feeling fresh.”
The first set was dramatic and had to be resolved after a tiebreak. Goffin’s focus was lost just for a little bit, and his rival used it in the best possible way, earning four straight points. He would then make a double service fault and had that part of the contest to the Russian.
It was much easier for him in the second set. Medvedev instantly made a break, and kept that distance all the way. Truth to be told, Goffin did have two chances to respond in the 10th game but failed to use them, due to Medvedev’s fantastic serve.
After this victory, he will become No.5 in the ATP rankings, and wealthier for $1,11 million.
In the ladies part of the tournament, Madison Keys was better than Svetlana Kuznetsova, 2:0, 7-5, 7-6. It was a very tough match, but exciting for the fans who were able to see a close battle of two similar players.
Kuznetsova reached the lead first as she broke Keys service, but that lasted until the late phase of the set. The American would then make two consecutive breakpoints and turn the result upside down.
A similar situation had been seen in the second set. It was Kuznetsova again who reached the first breakpoint, but she couldn’t hold onto that advantage until the end.
When she should have served to equalize the result, she just vanished, and Keys returned one break. Soon after that, a tiebreak started, where the US player used the momentum and grabbed the trophy.
She was thrilled at the ceremony, stating that her path towards this title was very rough.
“It’s obviously the biggest title I have ever won, and, I mean, it was a tough draw from the very start. I played some really, really great players from Round 1 until today. I definitely think I played some of my best tennis consistently this week.”
The next tournament we have ahead of us is the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year. It starts on August 26.
