Indian Wells (USA), Mar 18 (EFE) from Indian Wells, where the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz or the Italian Jannik Sinner will be measured.
Medvedev, unstoppable and overwhelming in this start of 2023, defeated Tiafoe 7-5, 7-6(4) in one hour and 46 minutes.
The Russian dominated the match solidly but had many problems in the outcome to put the finishing touch on his triumph as an inexhaustible Tiafoe saved seven match points.
“If I hadn’t won this match I would have had nightmares for a long time…”, he ironized on the court and after the match on the match points that he could not seal.
“But I am very happy to have won. Now I will be able to sleep well tonight and prepare for tomorrow,” she added with a smile.
After being crowned in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, Medvedev, who occupies the sixth position in the world ranking, will play his first Indian Wells final this Sunday and will also have the option of achieving his fourth consecutive tournament in five weeks of competition, something that no one in the ATP has achieved since Andy Murray in 2016 (Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna and Paris).
This match, played in the midday heat on a nearly packed center court in Indian Wells, marked Tiafoe’s first Masters 1000 semi-final, heavily supported from the stands by a dedicated crowd with the only remaining American in contention.
The son of refugees from Sierra Leone and number 16 in the world, Tiafoe had not conceded a set in this edition of Indian Wells.
But in front of him he had a rival who is especially bad at it since Medvedev had scored all four games between them so far.
In any case, the young American started the match with conviction from serve, taking his powerful forehand for a walk and boldly going to the net.
He also had the necessary calm to solve a tricky moment with 0-40 and 2-2, a mess from which he emerged unscathed with five consecutive points.
With enormous authority and serenity, Medvedev solved his serving turns on the fast track and without offering his opponent any opportunity.
But when it seemed that the set was going to a ‘tie break’, Tiafoe, with some mistakes at the least opportune moment, conceded a service break for 6-5 and Medvedev took advantage of that gift to win the first set.
This blow took its toll on Tiafoe, who lost the serve as soon as the second set began and saw the match increasingly uphill.
By contrast, the rock-hard Medvedev continued to appear extremely reliable and impenetrable.
So much so that Tiafoe had his first ‘break’ ball of the whole afternoon already in the second set and with 3-2 against, but Medvedev solved it with a good second serve and continued to command the duel.
However, his first moment of weakness came when he least expected it.
Medvedev wasted three match points to the rest and, with 5-4 in his favor and serving to close the match, he ended up losing his serve for the first time in the match with a double fault (5-5).
It was now or never for Tiafoe but right after he lost his serve with a loveless game (6-5).
Against the ropes, the American returned to pull epic and survived four more match balls to get a new break and force the ‘tie break’ among the madness of his fans.
Eventually, Medvedev recovered the beefier version of his serve and Tiafoe ended up bowing to the fittest player on the planet right now.
David Villafranca
