Daniil Medvedev resumes his march forward after his victory at the ATP tournament in Rotterdam

Europe 1 with AFP 6:55 p.m., February 19, 2023

Russian Daniil Medvedev is back.

A few weeks after an early elimination at the Australian Open (from the 3rd round against Sebastian Korda), the tennis player restarted the machine in Rotterdam by winning in the final against the promising Italian Jannik Sinner.

Daniil Medvedev thus won the 16th title of his career and the first of his season.

The 27-year-old Muscovite won 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.

Thanks to this title, the 16th of his career in 28 finals, he will return to the Top 10 of the ATP rankings on Monday, where he will be in eighth position.

Sinner, thanks to his place of finalist in the Netherlands, will go from 14th to 12th place.

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Timid start to the season

After a slow start to the season, marked by a semi-final in Adelaide 1 and then an early elimination in the 3rd round of the Australian Open, Medvedev found in Rotterdam the legs that allow him to be one of the best players. of the world: before dominating Sinner, he had beaten in the quarters the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, defending champion, then the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the semis.

The winner of the US Open 2021, whose last success dates back to last October in Vienna, can fly with peace of mind to Doha where he will share the top of the bill this week with his compatriot Andrey Rublev, outgoing winner, eliminated in the first round in Rotterdam.

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Sinner cursed

Sinner, he, a week after winning in Montpellier, has still not overcome the Indian sign: after five confrontations, he has not yet found the key to beating Medvedev.

As expected, the match was long (2 hours and 29 minutes), between two metronomes among the best baseline hitters on the circuit.

Sinner was first better installed on the ground, more offensive and logically rewarded by winning the first round, fiercely contested and which alone lasted 1 hour and 7 minutes.

Once settled, in particular on the length of the ball in the forehand, the Medvedev machine then started, and the Russian quickly equalized after having managed a double break in an almost one-sided second set.

The Russian then broke his opponent at the start of the decisive round to win without shaking.

The lanky style "octopus" is back in the spotlight.