Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev will meet in the semifinals of the 2023 Italian Open in Rome.
It's always entertaining when two talented players meet on the tennis court, but it's even more entertaining when there's some spice added to the match. That's definitely the case in matches between Tsitsipas and Medvedev as their rivalry started already five years ago.
Since then, the two players established themselves as valuable members of the Top 10 on the ATP Tour and they played 11 matches against each other. Medvedev won seven of those, including their very first meeting.
That happened five years ago at the 2018 Miami Open and that's exactly where the rivalry started. After the match, Tsitsipas called Medvedev 'bullsh*t Russian', while the Russian called his Greek opponent 'small kid who doesn't know how to fight'. While it's a memory that always brings a smile to the faces of tennis fans, their rivalry evolved to more than just calling names.
In those eleven matches that they played against each other, only two were played on the clay courts, with each player winning one. Now, they will meet for the third time, at the 2023 Italian Open in Rome.
Each of them had a unique path to the semifinals. Tsitsipas dominated in every match that he played, winning all four in two sets and beating Nuno Borges, Lorenzo Sonego, Lorenzo Musetti, and Borna Coric along the way.
On the other hand, Medvedev defeated Emil Ruusuvuori, Bernabe Zapata Miralles, Alexander Zverev, and also Yannick Hanfmann, losing only one set to the Spanish player and beating rest of the opponents in straight sets.
Looking at the draw, it was obvious that the two may meet, and their clash became even more anticipated after they met at Foro Italico and didn't even look at each other. Now, the semifinal clash is set and the eyes of the tennis fans will be on it as the two will fight for the spot in the final.
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