Medvedev Hangs On For First Masters In Cincinnati, Prevails Over Goffin

Daniil Medvedev became a Masters champion on Sunday edging David Goffin 7-6(3), 6-4 in the Cincinnati final.

On a steamy afternoon in Ohio, Medvedev grabbed an early break but it didn’t last long. Goffin came right back then forced a breaker. Medvedev came from a mini break down to take it going away.

Another quick break looked good for the 8th-ranked Medvedev in the second. But serving for the match at 5-4, he went down 15-40 after a racquet smashed. But he continued on and fighting cramps, the big guy just put his money on serve and it paid off with three aces to pace the win in the final game.

“It’s hard to find words,” Medvedev told ESPN. “It’s the hard work I’ve been putting in. It would not be good to lose three finals in a row, so I’m really happy about this. I started cramping at 5-3, actually. It was the first time I cramped in three weeks. I made four serves he didn’t return and it was unbelievable.”

Medvedev, who has made three straight finals, wins his biggest career title and his fifth overall, second of 2019. He will move to No. 5 in the world after a 14-2 summer swing, and now enters the US Open as a player to watch out for.

“I have to say even if I wouldn’t have finished with the trophy, these weeks were amazing and the best in my life,” Medvedev said. “But of course I think with the trophy is better. Especially if I would have lost three finals in a row, I would have not doubted myself but started asking myself how is it possible, three finals, lost all of them? What should I do differently in the final?

“I don’t have to ask myself these questions because I won the final. It’s been the best weeks in my life. My serve was the best in my life. My tennis was really consistent. I didn’t have one bad match. I’m just extremely happy.”

Goffin was also seeking his biggest title and his fifth, but the Belgian still made his first Masters final and had his best week in years.

“He played unbelievable the last three weeks,” Goffin said. “He’s super solid. He doesn’t miss. It’s like playing against a wall. That’s why everybody is struggling, because he’s so consistent, now with more confidence.

“He’s a really good player, really good player. And on that kind of surface when it’s tough to control the ball, he’s just solid. It’s tough to make a winner, to be precise. He’s really good, unbelievable the level he had the last three weeks. Congrats to him.”