2018 Tokyo - ATP 500

[Meles]

Med Ace... Big serve and fh gets the UE and hold for 5-3

 

[Sparlingo]

Crowd seems to on Shapo's side but polite to both sides

 

[Meles]

Well at least Shapo got to a BP that time, he's fighting

He's looking better, but Med a tough nut to crack these days.

 

[Meles]

Crowd seems to on Shapo's side but polite to both sides

Remember they had signs up and everything for him last year and then the Visa issue.

 

[GrassCourtFan]

Shapo rattled. More DF, and a bad error trying to hit a weird dropshot. Missed a forehand - and Med has 2 set points.

 

[Meles]

Med's garbage garners 15-30 and now 15-40. Shapo you need to hold so you serve first next set.

 

[GrassCourtFan]

Another missed FH, and Med takes set 1.

Shapo FH looks to be the weak link on court right now. Serve's not too great either - 0 aces and 4 df...

 

[Sparlingo]

Ahh, Shapo I want to kill you, but I still love you

 

[Meles]

Great Med return of the Shapo hook at 30-40 gets the UE from the deep FH corner for Shapo. Med prevails 6-3, up two breaks.

Shapo only 60% first serve points won which is probably more Med's doing with his nice reach and return.

 

[Meles]

Ahh, Shapo I want to kill you, but I still love you

Medvedev is on absolute fire in Tokyo. Just 7 UEs against Raonic in previous match. Raonic had little chance from the ground.

 

[Sparlingo]

Medvedev looking strong, tough road now for Shapo

 

[Meles]

Med deep forehand to corner gets break to 2-0. Medvedev is starting to roll a bit more on serve to boot.

 

[Sparlingo]

Shapo broke early, hard to see Shapo coming back

 

[Meles]

Med quick hold for 3-0

I'm thinking Med is playing top ten tennis right now (three wins against players around the top ten and near win over in form Thiem):
QF I Hard Daniil Medvedev Milos Raonic 7-6(4) 6-3 H2H 2.62 - 1.50
R16 I Hard Daniil Medvedev Martin Klizan 6-4 6-3 H2H 1.61 - 2.20
R32 I Hard Daniil Medvedev Diego Sebastian Schwartzman 6-4 6-4 H2H 1.59 - 2.35
FQ I Hard Daniil Medvedev Egor Gerasimov 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3 H2H 1.28 - 3.55
SFQ I Hard Daniil Medvedev Hiroki Moriya 6-3 6-3 H2H 1.11 - 5.85
38 / 2018 St. Petersburg
QF I Hard Dominic Thiem Daniil Medvedev 6-2 3-6 7-6(2) H2H 1.53 - 2.50
R16 I Hard Daniil Medvedev Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3 6-4 H2H 1.43 - 2.85
R32 I Hard Daniil Medvedev Joao Sousa 6-4 6-1 H2H 1.50 - 2.50
35 / 2018 US Open
R32 Hard Borna Coric Daniil Medvedev 6-3 7-5 6-2 H2H 1.65 - 2.23
R64 Hard Daniil Medvedev Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-3 H2H 2.00 - 1.80
R128 Hard Daniil Medvedev Evgeny Donskoy 7-5 6-4 6-2 H2H 1.30 - 3.40
33 / 2018 Winston-Salem
F Hard Daniil Medvedev Steve Johnson 6-4 6-4 H2H 1.90 - 1.90
SF Hard Daniil Medvedev Taro Daniel 6-1 6-1 H2H 1.48 - 2.65
QF Hard Daniil Medvedev Ryan Harrison 7-6(4) 6-4 H2H 1.90 - 1.90
R16 Hard Daniil Medvedev Guido Andreozzi 7-5 6-1 H2H 1.16 - 5.00
R32 Hard Daniil Medvedev Alex De Minaur 6-3 6-3 H2H
R64 Hard Daniil Medvedev Mirza Basic 6-4 6-4 H2H 1.30 - 3.40

 

[Meles]

Shapo broke early, hard to see Shapo coming back

I think he's demoralized more than anything without a clear solution to get back and win the match.

 

[Meles]

Med is reading the hook serve. 40 all

 

[Meles]

Shapo wises up and finishes for hold with ace up the T. Med 3-1

 

[Meles]

Shaps net advance for 40-30 on Med serve, but big serve and its 4-1

 

[Meles]

Another Shapo ace up the T for 40-15..... 2nd serve, rally. Shapo nets approach to Med BH 40-30

 

[GrassCourtFan]

Shapo holds for 4-2 with some clever play - some dropshots, some S&V. Good problem-solving - he's trying his plans C and D. Still, he's only got two chances left to break.

 

[Meles]

Hook serve gotten back by Med barely and Shapo overhead gets the hold. Med 4-2

 

[Meles]

Shapo only returning 27% of serves back in play; hard to get away from that.

 

[GrassCourtFan]

Medvedev serving huge, no chance for Shapo in that return game. 5-2.

 

[Meles]

Med fast hold for 5-2

 

[Meles]

Med 2 UEs this set. 72% first serves in play, winning 85% of those points.

 

[GrassCourtFan]

Medvedev finishes with three aces.

Great play from Medvedev, well-deserved win, Shapo had nothing to stand against him. He made some adjustments at the end but just couldn't do anything on Medvedev's serve, too good.

 

[-snake-]

 

[Meles]

Quick merciful hold and its over.

 

[loni]

overrated one lost ,good .

 

[Meles]

Trollvedev will be fired up for the chance to take down another home town favorite. Demon in Sydney final this year(crazy crowd), FAA at Rogers Cup, Johnson at Winston-Salem, and now potentially Nishikori.

 

[PeteD]

Tomorrow, Kei to defeat Med the Red.

 

[PeteD]

Trollvedev will be fired up for the chance to take down another home town favorite. Demon in Sydney final this year(crazy crowd), FAA at Rogers Cup, Johnson at Winston-Salem, and now potentially Nishikori.

Nishikori is not Steve Johnson etc.

 

[Meles]

Nishikori is not Steve Johnson etc.

Nishi has got it. No, this wasn't a question.

 

[Gary Duane]

Nishi has got it. No, this wasn't a question.

Shapo knee taped and playing too many 3 set matches, wearing himself out. He was never in the match tonight. I'm getting so I know when he is about to spay groundstrokes and donate a DF.

 

[The Green Mile]

Damn, I didn't realize Gasquet's epic TB scoreline here in Tokyo this week..

R32: Kudla 7/6(8) 6/3
R16: Kyrgios 7/6(4) 7/6(1)
QF: Anderson 7/6(6) 7/6(4)

 

[Giorgilli]

Stream anyone?

 

[The Green Mile]

These first six or so games have been high quality from both. Gasquet is serving well with seemingly a little extra pace to the first serve than per usual. Both guys executing their game plans well. 3-3...

 

[The Green Mile]

Kei has made 18 of 19 first serves Not rolling them in either, what a stat. Holds comfortably for 4-3, Richard's 1st serve return has been quite central for the most part, easy pickings for Kei.

 

[The Green Mile]

Nice scrambling from Kei, Gasquet feeling the pressure of playing a few extra balls, poor forehand miss. 15-30.

2 BPs here.... Ace, 30-40. Kei getting himself into the rally, a little too ambitious on the off forehand, short angle wasn't really on. Deuce.

Gasquet comes through, 4-4.

 

[The Green Mile]

They are playing one of the latest "One Piece" theme songs on changeover

 

[The Green Mile]

40-15 to 40-40, Gasquet serving. Kei had a bread and butter backhand on a short ball, ends up netting it whilst trying to go DTL. Gasquet holding on for 5-5....

 

[The Green Mile]

Kei had only dropped the four points on serve all set, all of a sudden at 5-5, 40-15 to 40-40...

Kei holds on for 6-5. Looks like it's going to be the stolen TB set for Richard

 

[Red Rick]

1) Goddamnit, why are matches so early today

2) Lol false dawn Shapovalov after lucky QF win.

 

[The Green Mile]

Surely Kei has heard about the Tie break titan of Tokyo this week?

 

[Red Rick]

Perfect start of the tiebreak for Nishikori. 3-0 up, 2 minibreaks.

 

[The Green Mile]

The better player in full command of this TB early on though, 3-0 to Kei

 

[Red Rick]

Surely Kei has heard about the Tie break titan of Tokyo this week?

Kei gotta save Roddick's tb record. Which was ended by Gasquet in 2007

 

[Red Rick]

Is there a radar gun in sight? Cause Nishi seems to have a bit more pop on that T serve that usual

 

[Red Rick]

Awesome defense by Nishi there.

 

[The Green Mile]

Kei gotta save Roddick's tb record. Which was ended by Gasquet in 2007

Just looked it up. The last person to win a TB against Andy before that epic streak, was the Muzz himself.