By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday March 27, 2024
Daniil Medvedev weathered a strong push from Chile's Nicolas Jarry to notch his ninth consecutive win in Miami.
Photo Source: Miami Open
It’s rivalry on in Miami once again.
Daniil Medvedev edged Nicolas Jarry on Wednesday night, 6-2, 7-6(7), setting a semifinal clash with Jannik Sinner at the Miami Open - a rematch of their thrilling five-set final at this year’s Australian Open.
“He’s playing better and better,” 2023 Miami champion Medvedev said of Sinner after earning his ninth consecutive victory at the venue. “He’s confident, some matches where you look on TV, where he’s maybe a little bit in trouble, he manages to find solutions – that’s what champions do.
“It’s a great challenge for me to continue improving my game – I’ll try to show my 100 percent and go for it.”
Of course Medvedev has first-hand knowledge of Sinner’s problem-solving skills. He led the Italian by two sets in their Australian Open final in January, but fatigue set in and he was unable to protect the lead as the Italian surged back to take the title, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
It was a crowning achievement for Sinner, who became the first Italian man to win a major since 1976, and he has not wavered since. He will enter Friday’s clash with a 20-1 record on the season, his only blemish coming at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals at Indian Wells.
But Medvedev has been no slouch in 2024. He improved to 18-3 on Wednesday with a solid victory over Chile’s Jarry, and when he was challenged by the resourceful 28-year-old in the final set, he had all the answers when it mattered most as he finished off the match in a dramatic tiebreak to improve to 18-4 lifetime at Miami.
Medvedev, a 20-time title winner, is aiming to successfully defend a title for the first time on tour. He has returned to the final in three of his title defense attempts, but lost to Alcaraz in all three of those moments.
Alcaraz, in action on Thursday against Grigor Dimitrov, could be there if Medvedev can manage to reach the final, but first the Russian will have to find a way to snap his four-match losing streak against 22-year-old Sinner, who has come into his own as a talent on tour over the last three months.
Medvedev has not dropped a set in his first four matches in Miami, and on Wednesday he demonstrated his capacity for raising his level in a tight match. He dropped just 17 points on serve against Jarry and handled the only break point he faced with aplomb.
And he has good memories in Miami as well. Last year he dispatched Sinner in the final, 7-5, 6-2 in a dominant performance that saw him drop just five first-serve points.
That victory marked Medvedev’s fifth consecutive victory over Sinner in a streak that would eventually end at six.
This time around, it will be a different Sinner, one who is a Grand Slam champion and the man who now owns the upper hand in the rivalry, having won their last four meetings.