Team Europe teammates Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz are expected to meet in the semi-finals of the China Open.
Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz‘s Laver Cup experiences couldn’t have been more different, despite lifting the trophy together last Sunday.
The Russian lost both his singles matches to Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, handing the American his first win in six attempts.
Alcaraz on the other hand picked up a record eight Laver Cup points including a title-winning straight sets victory against Team World’s Taylor Fritz.
After having lost momentum after the Olympics, Alcaraz slumped out of there US Open in the second-round, before two Davis Cup wins and a dreamy stint in Berlin confirmed he was back on song.
Daniil Medvedev reveals what players have to do to beat Carlos Alcaraz
The praise for the 20-year-old Spaniard has come from all angles – Shelton lauded Alcaraz after their Laver Cup contest, outlining how the Spaniard can significantly up his level when the occasion demands so.
John McEnroe said he ‘wished’ he had one of Alcaraz’s qualities during his own playing career after the Spaniard denied him a third successive Laver Cup title.
For Medvedev, he was the only player not to contribute a single point, yet is still eyeing up an important week in Tokyo for both him and Alcaraz.
Medvedev said in his China Open press conference: “We both come here from Laver Cup so we need to win the first matches. Not going to be easy with the jet lag and everything. Usually you prepare more time. So now it’s a short preparation.”
Seeded second and third, Alcaraz and Medvedev are expected to meet in the last four. The Russian commented on how difficult an opponent Alcaraz currently is.
“If we both meet, yeah, to play against Carlos is not easy, especially when he’s on fire. I could see it when we played in Laver Cup. He was playing good there. The guys had no chance.
“Yeah, you need to play your best. You need to try to put him under pressure all the time. That’s where maybe you can get the chance. Yeah, that’s the most important, to play your best tennis.”
What is Carlos Alcaraz’s and Daniil Medvedev head-to-head record?
Alcaraz currently enjoys a 5-2 lead in their overall head-to-head, with the last three having gone the way of the Spaniard.
Medvedev won their first ever career match at Wimbledon in 2019, but since then, Alcaraz has taken charge, defeating the Russian in four of their subsequent five match-ups.
An epic win in the 2023 US Open semi-finals saw the Russian prevail before falling short to Novak Djokovic in the final.
Since then, Alcaraz took charge, defeating the Russian in four of their next five match-ups.
Their most recent match at the Wimbledon semi-finals saw Alcaraz recover from a set down to later go on to win the title for the second year running.
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