World no. 3 and the 2020 Paris Masters champion, Daniil Medvedev, experienced an early loss at the season’s last Masters 1000 event. Daniil fell to Alex de Minaur 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 in two hours and 46 minutes, suffering his fourth first-match loss of the season and dropping the last year’s 600 points.
Alex came to this match with a terrible 0-18 score against the top-5 opponents. He fought well in this one and stayed focused in the closing stages to secure his career-best triumph. De Minaur claimed one point more than Medvedev and defended 12 out of 15 break chances to remain competitive.
The Russian got broken three times from ten opportunities offered to his rival, fending off two match points in the decider’s tenth game before falling two games later. Daniil lost his temper and smashed a racquet following a loss that will send him out from the top-4 for the first time in two years.
Daniil Medvedev lost to Alex de Minaur in his first match at the Paris Masters.
De Minaur had the edge at the net and prevailed after hitting 29 winners and 37 unforced errors. There was nothing to separate them in the shortest, mid-range and most extended rallies.
We saw numerous exchanges with ten strokes or more, which was expected from two fine baseliners. De Minaur made a great start and dropped only eight points in the opener’s five service games. Medvedev survived break points in the second game to avoid an early setback, and they both served well in the following seven games.
The Aussie created two set points on the return at 5-4 with a forehand down the line winner and seized the first after the Russian’s terrible smash to secure the opener in 49 minutes. Daniil raised his level in the second set and pushed stronger on the return.
He grabbed a break in the first game after Alex’s loose backhand and missed more break chances in game three. Medvedev sprayed an error with a routine forehand on a break chance in game five before stealing the rival’s serve at 4-2 to extend the gap.
Daniil served for the set in game eight and defended a break point with a volley winner. He clinched the set with an ace down the T line for 6-2 and a boost ahead of the decider. Medvedev kicked off the final set with a break of serve and moved 2-0 up.
De Minaur broke back at 15 in game four for 2-2 and saved a break point in games five and nine to remain on the positive side. Daniil saved two match points on serve at 4-5 and served to stay in the match for the second time at 5-6.
He denied another match point before falling on the fourth following a costly double fault that sent him out of the competition.
