Melbourne (AFP)
Russia beat Italy 2-0 and won the ATP Cup on Sunday in Melbourne, thanks to the clear wins of Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, who proved they should be reckoned with at the Australian Open.
World number 8, Rublev swept away Fabio Fognini (6-1, 6-2) in just 61 minutes before Medvedev (N.4) dominated Matteo Berrettini (6-4, 6-2) to bring the decisive second point to his country.
"It's incredible," said Russian captain Evgeny Donskoy in ecstasy.
"If they maintain their level, they will find themselves in the quarterfinals (of the Australian Open), I watched the draw," anticipated the 123rd player in the world.
At 24, Medvedev signed his fourteenth victory in a row, after finishing 2020 by winning in succession the Masters 1000 in Paris and the Masters in London, where he notably dominated the top three players in the world.
"It's really a performance, (it gives) a good dose of confidence", commented Sunday the native of Moscow, who will start his Australian Open Tuesday against the Canadian Vasek Pospisil (N.61).
His best Grand Slam result was a 2019 US Open final.
"He's playing very well, he's confident, it shows," complimented Berrettini, ranked six behind the Russian at ATP.
Aged 23, Rublev won two consecutive trophies in the fall, in St. Petersburg and then in Vienna, where he notably beat world No. 3 Dominic Thiem in the quarterfinals.
Over the entire 2020 season, truncated by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russian has won five tournaments, an unparalleled record.
He will also enter the competition Tuesday at the Australian Open, against the German Yannick Hanfmann (101st).
Thanks to its clear victory on Sunday, Russia succeeds Serbia from world No.1 Novak Djokovic, winner of the first edition of the ATP Cup in 2020.
© 2021 AFP