Article Author:
Reuters
World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev capped his finals loss with a 7-5, 6-0 win over Great Britain's Cameron Norry on Saturday to lift the title in Los Cabos, Mexico, to win the U.S. Open. Strengthened preparations for title defense.
The ban on Russian players at Wimbledon due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced Medvedev to miss the grass-court major, and his first tournament since June, the ATP 250, saw him win the 2019 World Cup. Arrived in Mexico for the event of
Most of Medvedev's success over the years has been on hard courts, and he didn't lose a set this week on his way to his first title of the season.
"Every match was very good, but the final is always special," Medvedev said.
"In the final, we will face the best player of the week, so it's always a high-level match, and I'm really happy that we were able to show a good level and a good shot in such an important match.
The Russian has lost five straight finals since last November's Paris Masters against last year's champion Norry, ranked 12th in the world. Then, the 26-year-old lost in last year's ATP Finals title match.
They were then eliminated in the final of the Australian Open in early 2022, before losing the championship match on grass in the Netherlands and Germany.
Medvedev rubbed his hands on the court in Saturday's 11th game, just after lefty Norrie saved his points in two sets to tie him up at 5-5. In the opening set, he needed medical attention because he was bleeding while hitting the ball.
The Russian, who won his first Grand Slam title in Flushing his Meadows last year, geared up from there and won his next eight matches to seal the contest.
"It wasn't easy. It was really intense because Cam is a great player," Medvedev said. "When I play against Kam, I know I have to fight for every point.
"Actually, bleeding helped me. I haven't played well since then. But that was enough for today." (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly, Mumbai; Editing by Robert Birsel)
