Daniil Medvedev bested Andrey Rublev a few times this year, and it happened again at the 2023 ATP Finals, with this coming in straight sets as well.
Rublev and Medvedev played two times this year and both times, Medvedev won in straight sets. He added another straight-sets win, and it was a dominant display from the former world number 1.
The court in Turin plays fast, faster than in previous years, which Medvedev enjoys. He had had a lot of success in this match and seemingly won easily, but that's only half the story.
The Russian actually struggled a lot with his serve, barely hitting it over 50 % of the time. He was amazing when he did it, something you can't say for Rublev.
He struggled a bit more on his serve, both the first and the second. It gave Medvedev a lot of chances, and the Russian simply played the crucial rallies better. Both faced multiple break points, but the crucial thing was that Medvedev saved all of them, and Rublev did not.
The Russian was also a bit more measured in his approach to the rallies. He had more winners than Rublev and fewer errors, which was another reason why he came out on top in this match. Simply put, Medvedev played better, and that's why he won.
Rublev has beaten Medvedev before, but it hasn't worked out this year. He's actually been in pretty good shape before this event, but the matchup simply doesn't work in his favour, especially when Medvedev has a faster court where he can do damage with his serve.
The final score was 6-4, 6-2 for Medvedev, who finished with ten aces, 24 winners, and six unforced errors. It was a really good start for Medvedev, who will face Alexander Zverev next. When it comes to Rublev, he will face Carlos Alcaraz next.
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