TURIN, Italy — Defending champion Daniil Medvedev inched closer to the ATP Finals semifinals after beating 2018 champ Alexander Zverev on Tuesday to make it two wins out of two in Turin.
Medvedev, who won the US Open in September for his first Grand Slam title, took just over 2½ hours to beat Zverev 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6) and move level with the German on a tour-leading 56 wins.
He leads Red Group and will be guaranteed a place in the final four if first-time qualifier Hubert Hurkacz beats Jannik Sinner, who was an alternate and advanced after local favorite Matteo Berrettini was forced to withdraw with an apparent abdominal injury suffered in the previous round of play.
Helped by fast conditions inside the Pala Alpitour, Medvedev served 14 aces and Zverev 18.
Medvedev was in a fight from the start, fending off three break points in his opening two service games but also breaking Zverev to take a 3-0 lead. The world No. 2 went on to win the opening set with a delightful backhand down the line.
Victory looked in good time in the second set as Medvedev dropped only two points in his first five service games. But Zverev held on and saved three break points to force the tiebreaker, which the German won.
In the deciding set, Medvedev had to save a break point to prevent Zverev from serving for the match, and he won the tiebreaker on his third match point when Zverev netted a backhand.