Just five days ago, Anderson defeated Medvedev in the quarterfinals of Vienna.
Also on Wednesday, Rafael Nadal plays his first match since becoming a 20-time Major champion, against friend and fellow countryman Feliciano Lopez. Sascha Zverev will take to the court for the first time since the news broke that he’ll soon be a father, as well as the physical abuse allegations made by an ex-girlfriend. And this is a big week for Diego Schwartzman, as he’s just a few wins away from qualifying for his ATP Finals debut. Schwartzman faces French veteran Richard Gasquet today in Bercy.
Daniil Medvedev (3) vs. Kevin Anderson
Of the seven men who have already qualified for London, Medvedev’s recent results have been the most lackluster. Since his run to the US Open semifinals, he’s gone 3-4. His most recent loss came last Friday at the hands of Anderson, who prevailed 6-4, 7-6(5). That semifinal appearance in Vienna is the best results the South African has achieved since undergoing right knee surgery in February. Anderson’s career has been plagued by injuries since reaching his second Major final at Wimbledon in 2018. A day after upsetting Medvedev last week, Kevin retired down a set and a break to Andrey Rublev due to a right thigh issue. Anderson likely didn’t mind getting a retirement yesterday from Laslo Djere after playing just seven games. Medvedev’s other hard court loss this fall was to Reilly Opelka, so Daniil has not liked seeing big servers across the net at these indoor events. But Medvedev remains one of the ATP’s smartest and grittiest competitors, so I trust he’ll figure out a way to avenge his loss from last week.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Rafael Nadal (1) vs. Feliciano Lopez. Nadal leads their head-to-head 9-4, though Lopez claimed their last two meetings, which were decided on hard courts in 2014 and 2015.
Diego Schwartzman (6) vs. Richard Gasquet. The Frenchman is 3-0 against the Argentine, which includes a hard court match last summer in Cincinnati.
Stan Wawrinka (12) vs. Tommy Paul. Yesterday Wawrinka took out Dan Evans in straight sets, while Paul needed three to defeat Gilles Simon.
Sascha Zverev (4) vs. Miomir Kecmanovic. Kecmanovic prevailed in their only previous meeting last year in Cincinnati, an event where Zverev is 0-6 lifetime.
Full order of play is here.
