Cincinnati Masters 2022 SF: (1) Daniil Medvedev vs (4) Stefanos Tsitsipas

[Rafa.the.Magnificent]

It seems as though I’m the only one who thinks Medvedev played very well overall and that Tsitsipas was simply better.

 

[MeatTornado]

It seems as though I’m the only one who thinks Medvedev played very well overall and that Tsitsipas was simply better.

Saying anyone with that many double-faults played very well is going to be a tough sell.

 

[Sampras-Bruguera 1993]

It seems as though I’m the only one who thinks Medvedev played very well overall and that Tsitsipas was simply better.

Tsti should always play better and win.. Hes got more tools at his disposal. While Med is just big tall glass of water pusher with NO weapons

 

[jindra]

It seems as though I’m the only one who thinks Medvedev played very well overall and that Tsitsipas was simply better.

Go check the serve stats for this match.

 

[jindra]

Tsti should always play better and win.. Hes got more tools at his disposal. While Med is just big tall glass of water pusher with NO weapons

Medvedev does have a weapon: his serve.

I was impressed today with the progress on Tsitsipas slice BH. He just needs to get away from hitting it DTL.

 

[stringertom]

Saying anyone with that many double-faults played very well is going to be a tough sell.

Worse still is the under 50% first serve stat. Despite the 11 DFs he did manage to win close to 60% second serve points. It’s awfully difficult to win a set when you’re only winning 8 first serve points (third set).

 

[Rafa.the.Magnificent]

I hear you guys on the serve situation and you’re right, of course. But Meddy did impress me in getting to some nearly impossible balls tonight, and then following through with some brilliant shots. Hope his serve troubles are temporary.

 

[stringertom]

I hear you guys on the serve situation and you’re right, of course. But Meddy did impress me in getting to some nearly impossible balls tonight, and then following through with some brilliant shots. Hope his serve troubles are temporary.

Yes, he is a near-2-meter Gumby with his digs out of the corners and steals a lot of points with his tenacious tentacles style.

 

[Rafa.the.Magnificent]

Yes, he is a near-2-meter Gumby with his digs out of the corners and steals a lot of points with his tenacious tentacles style.

Colorfully and well said!

 

[guanzishou]

First Cinci Final for Stefanos! And he did that by beating world number one using a fabulous display of all court tennis!

 

[Baseline_Bungle]

I hear you guys on the serve situation and you’re right, of course. But Meddy did impress me in getting to some nearly impossible balls tonight, and then following through with some brilliant shots. Hope his serve troubles are temporary.

He's always pulled off that stuff. But it's not about the highlight reel. It's the average level that makes the player. And his has been dipping dangerously.

 

[stringertom]

First Cinci Final for Stefanos! And he did that by beating world number one using a fabulous display of all court tennis!

Four years to get back into a HC M1K final. I remember back at the time of Toronto’18 that he was going to be in these Sunday matches a lot. Enqvist and Scud are getting the results that Apostolos and Mouratoglou couldn’t coax out of him. I LOL at the junk said about his equipment changes would guarantee a fail in 2022 and a drop from top 10. A win vs Coric makes him #4.

 

[BGod]

Well, well, well. Guess who made out in their parlay?

 

[DJTaurus]

Wtf did i just show from stef ? Serve and volley from first game ? Mixing his backhand slice with insane inside out forehands ? Finally approaching the net to finish points after baseline exchanges that pushed med wide ? Using for the first time drop shots everywhere and not only the stupid cross drop shot ? Being down 5-0 on the second set and never loosing his temper ? Finally not afraid to drive his backhand on returns/winners. Not over reacting when winning points but keeping calm ? He seems like he has a coach this time around. A real coach. On all previous loses from med he was staying on the baseline and trying to win the robot from there….

Love him of hate him it was an all around fed style exhibition from steff. That’s the kind of tennis we love….

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Great win for Tsitsipas. Didn’t expect that. A break through and big for him to beat meddy on HC. Great attacking tennis and also mix up of play with serves, slices and volley by the Greek.

 

[Snafu23]

Worse still is the under 50% first serve stat. Despite the 11 DFs he did manage to win close to 60% second serve points. It’s awfully difficult to win a set when you’re only winning 8 first serve points (third set).

Agreed, but its not despite the 11 DFs, its a causal not a correlational relationship. He went big on seconds, thus the DFs, it wasn't Zverev-esque bouncing 3-4 tomes en route to the net

 

[DJTaurus]

Guys please stop the excuse of Medvedevs double faults. From this tournament tsitsipas is returning well and putting pressure on his opponents. I have never seen him in the past to just block or slice deep returns. He was always looking to return with a full swing.

You also don’t mention that Medvedev was the first one to break Stefanos serve on the first set. But tsitsipas kept cool and managed to bounce back.

I understand that some of you don’t like what crazy stuff tsitsipas is tweeting but come on…..ok he is weird but come on give him some credit. It was a federer all around performance.

Ps- for example I prefer Stefanos tweet weirdness over alcaraz over reacting and over wannabe Nadal celebrating by just winning casual points….. it’s irritating.

 

[AM75]

You also don’t mention that Medvedev was the first one to break Stefanos serve on the first set. But tsitsipas kept cool and managed to bounce back.

Exactly. The 3rd set could be avoided by Medvedev if he wouldn't permanently hit the ball back to Tsitsipas' striking zone during the whole match or would adapt to Stef's serve and volley game.

 

[TennisFan3]

Does Titspas have more upside than Med? I mean Med isn't adapting his game to counter the wide serve and S-V tactics of his opponents. Novak sort of crated a playbook of how to beat Med by exploiting his return position.

I haven't seen any adjustments from Medvedev as it relates to his baseline positioning or shot selection. Sure he has great court coverage and an insane serve, but would that carry him over to win multiple majors? Doubt it.

Titspas, OTOH, at least in this tournament, has mightily impressed. It used to be that Titspas ROS was junk and he was pathetic on faster surfaces. However, he's returning much better especially from his backhand which used to be a major weakness. Finally he is playing Federer like - forehand dominated plus finishing on the net, beautiful, aggressive tennis. It's crazy to see - in a good way.

What kind of world are we living in? Is the Greek going to be our future Multi slam winner? He's already good on slow surfaces, such as clay, but finally getting his act together on faster hardcourts.

 

[Gumby]

Med reminds me an awful lot of a really tall Hewitt. Has trouble with the slice to his backhand side, he can't generate topspin off the slice ball. They both have smart shot selection and reach impossible shots. Hewitt was however an impeccable volleyer for mainly being a defensive baseliner. Med has the serve to set him apart. But while I feel Hewitt maxed out I think Med has another level he can reach. If he comes to net more often and decides to step up his shots he can certainly win 5-6 more slams.

 

[mike danny]

Med reminds me an awful lot of a really tall Hewitt. Has trouble with the slice to his backhand side, he can't generate topspin off the slice ball. They both have smart shot selection and reach impossible shots. Hewitt was however an impeccable volleyer for mainly being a defensive baseliner. Med has the serve to set him apart. But while I feel Hewitt maxed out I think Med has another level he can reach. If he comes to net more often and decides to step up his shots he can certainly win 5-6 more slams.

Nah, Med is very limited. His FH ia also worse than Hewitt's, not just the volleys.

 

[tsamo]

While I'm not ready to trust Tsitsipas again, it was very encouraging to see him have a plan and stick with it even when things didn't go as planned. He got broken in the very first game of the match but he did not panic, in contrast he kept his cool and kept playing his game. Not to mention being down 0-5, 15-30 and he came one point from making it all equal after a very bad concentration collapse in the second set.
I think being that consistent, with a new gameplan and his (occasional) never say die attitude, rattled Medvedev who in turn lost his concentration in the final set.

That said, after such a gruelling match, can he keep steady and win against a red hot and comparatively rested Coric who must have given him some nightmares from that frankly embarassing US Open 2020 loss? That remains to be seen.

 

[abmk]

Nah, Med is very limited. His FH ia also worse than Hewitt's, not just the volleys.

As is return, movement, passing shots, mental strength...

 

[Down_the_line]

Guys please stop the excuse of Medvedevs double faults. From this tournament tsitsipas is returning well and putting pressure on his opponents. I have never seen him in the past to just block or slice deep returns. He was always looking to return with a full swing.

You also don’t mention that Medvedev was the first one to break Stefanos serve on the first set. But tsitsipas kept cool and managed to bounce back.

I understand that some of you don’t like what crazy stuff tsitsipas is tweeting but come on…..ok he is weird but come on give him some credit. It was a federer all around performance.

Ps- for example I prefer Stefanos tweet weirdness over alcaraz over reacting and over wannabe Nadal celebrating by just winning casual points….. it’s irritating.

What does Tsitsipas tweet?