Daniil Medvedev went into the final of the Erste Bank Open 2022 as the favorite. And in the end, it all went his way. But before, he had to give his all and even concede his first set of the week against Denis Shapovalov, before taking the Viennese crown 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Shapovalov stunned the tournament’s number 1 and number 4 in the world at the start of the match, breaking Medvedev twice. It were the first breaks against Medvedev in this tournament. The favorite got one break back but Shapovalov was able to close the set.
It was a see-saw battle in the second set – break, rebreak and finally a second break for Medvedev who then started to go on a roll. In the final set, Medvedev showed the form he played in throughout the week, converting his seventh match point for his first tournament win in Vienna.
Win dedicated to wife
It was Medvedev’s 15th tournament victory in his career. Things got emotional during the winner’s ceremony when Medvedev dedicated the win to his wife: “She gave me the best present with our daughter. That’s more precious than anything else.”