Daniil Medvedev is now all set to clash with world number one Jannik Sinner in a blockbuster tie at the Shanghai Masters after both of them won in straight sets in the last round. Sinner, who won his maiden Grand Slam title in the US Open, showed he was well and truly in prime form by outclassing American Ben Shelton 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), whereas Medvedev outclassed Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in two straight sets 7-6 (7/3), 6-3. The game's fans are all holding their breath and hoping for the best to be seen whether Sinner could go on to win, holding forth in those incredible four games in a row he has enjoyed against Medvedev, whom he has beaten twice before.
In the match against Shelton, Sinner was thoroughly tested. While last year, Shelton had been too good for him at the same stage of this tournament; the world No. 11 looked the real deal from the get-go this time. The match unfolded quite interestingly, especially as Sinner broke Shelton's serve in the ninth game of the first set in a very critical turnaround. The Italian was seriously consolidating his hold in the second set, confidently closing out the tiebreaker. Victory for Sinner came just 88 minutes later and claimed to have shown how he was doing with an improved level on the court while bringing about his exorcism with some demons.
It was also a very interesting match of Medvedev against Tsitsipas, who played against each other for the 14th time in tour matches. Tsitsipas did not forget to deliver first and was quite strong, breaking Medvedev in the first game of the second set. However, Medvedev quickly took over the match, breaking back in the fourth game and then in the eighth to ensure qualification for the quarterfinals. Medvedev was much tougher, as well as strategically sharper, in finishing the match in an authoritative style. He also had time to look at what's happened this week and at the US Open, where he believes he hasn't played to the best of his ability.
Both players face extremely high stakes heading into the match. Sinner has taken four out of the four meetings with Medvedev this year, winning all three recent head-to-heads. He had victories in some crucial matches in the semi-finals at Miami and quarterfinals at the US Open, not forgetting the thrilling final against Djokovic at the Australian Open. Medvedev, however, thwarted the dreams of Sinner at Wimbledon by taking away a five-set nail-biter on his way to a thrilling victory that proved both men possess the spirit never to give up on their matches.
"I'm going to bring the fight," Medvedev declared, signaling his determination to reclaim his spot at the top of the game. The Russian has confessed that he could have done things better in their last meeting, stressing that he will go fully into the fight and do better in their second showdown. For Sinner, knows what's in store for him. "We know each other quite well now," he noted, pointing out that both of them have by now known each other very well through their encounters. "It's going to be a very tough match—physical match, mental match, and also a tactical one."
As the clock ticks down to their quarter-final encounter, tennis fans around the globe are on the edge of their seats, waiting for the battle of skill, strategy, and mental fortitude that Sinner and Medvedev have in store for them. Since both of them have shown some robust performances and created a good tally of wins during the season so far, the result can prove to be crucial for them in terms of the overall season. Every point would count at Shanghai Masters; therefore, each of them prepared well for this.
