Daniil Medvedev is into the final of the Australian Open for a third time after producing another dramatic comeback to beat Alexander Zverev 5-7 3-6 7-6(4) 7-6(5) 6-3 in an epic semifinal clash at Melbourne Park on Friday.
MORE: Zverev v Medvedev match stats
Zverev was two points from victory in the fourth set, but Medvedev battled back to set up a final against Jannik Sinner, who upset 10-time champion Novak Djokovic earlier in the day.
“I was a little bit lost but then in the third set I kept saying to myself, 'if I lose this match then I want to be proud of myself',” said Medvedev, who also came from two sets down in the second round.
“If I lose, I lose, but I won so I am very proud.
“In the third set I felt like I was tired physically. I knew I couldn’t run for 40 shots like in the first set, so I said 'let’s get more aggressive'.
“I started to serve better and then at five-all in the (fourth-set) tiebreak I got a little lucky – the slice was intentional but the drop shot (return) with backspin into the wind … was not. Sometimes you get lucky, and today was my day.”
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The mis-hit drop shot return – which came at 5-5 in the fourth-set tiebreak – proved to the killer blow for Zverev, who had led 5-4 in the tiebreak only for Medvedev to win the last three points, finishing off with an ace.
For Zverev it was a gut-wrenching loss, only the second time he had lost from two sets up, the first being in the US Open final of 2020. And for the best part of three sets, the German was the better player, taking advantage of a passive, jaded-looking Medvedev to forge ahead.
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Both men had spent more than 16 hours on court in their first five matches, but the pair proceeded to play out a series of marathon rallies, feeling each other out from the baseline.
While Medvedev began slowly, hitting five double-faults early on, Zverev was showing the kind of aggressive tennis that took him to a surprise win over Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round.
The German broke twice to lead 4-1, but Medvedev grabbed one of the breaks back in the next game. Slowly, Medvedev began to work over the Zverev forehand, breaking back in the 10th game, which included one 34-shot rally, only to then hand Zverev another break in the following game.
Medvedev had two chances to break but Zverev played a brilliant half-volley winner to end a 51-shot rally and earn set point, before clinching the set with a fine backhand volley.
Medvedev was stubbornly refusing to change his return position, and one break midway through the second set was enough for Zverev to double his lead.
In the first game of the third set, Medvedev gestured to his team, indicating he had nothing left. His coach, Gilles Cervara, told him to “give his max” and suddenly, things started to change.
For the first time in the match, Medvedev began to stand closer to the baseline to return and started to come forward more often, even serving and volleying a couple of times.
With Medvedev also finding his range on serve, the momentum began to change. Games stayed on serve to 4-4, 40-40, when the pair played the point of the match, a brilliant 20-shot rally finished with a stunning crosscourt forehand that had Zverev wrong-footed, on his back.
Zverev saved the set point and went on to force a tiebreak, but Medvedev won three straight points from 4-4 to snatch the set and stay alive.
Now Medvedev was walking with purpose between points, and his serve was really clicking. He won 11 points out of 11 on first serve to 4-4, and it took a massive effort from Zverev to stay on serve, saving two break points in the eighth game.
In the tiebreak, a Medvedev double fault gave Zverev a 5-4 lead with two serves to come but he couldn’t push home the advantage. Medvedev levelled and then got lucky when his mis-hit return turned into a winning drop shot. He compounded Zverev’s misfortune by hitting his 14th ace of the match to force a decider.
The momentum was with Medvedev now, and he duly broke in the fifth game when Zverev missed a series of forehands. A second break in the ninth game sealed the deal.