Rublev, Medvedev leads Russia past Sweden, joins Germany, Croatia and Russia in Davis Cup Tennis Semis
By Ricky Dimon
Russia rounded off the Davis Cup semi-final line-up in 2021 by sweeping Sweden 2-0 on Friday afternoon in Madrid.
Although they were huge favorites with Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev in the lineup, it was no cakewalk for the reigning ATP Cup champions. Elias Ymer scared Rublev enormously in the opening match, as world No. 5 needed a tiebreak in the final to survive 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (3). Rublev served for the match in the second set only to endure a roller coaster the rest of the way.
“Today was a super tough match,” said the Cincinnati runner-up. “I did not manage to finish the match when I had a really good chance. I missed some light balls and that [brought] him back to the game and then that moment he raised his level. He started to feel confident and he started to play much better, and then it was 7-6 in the third. “
While Rublev has been fighting all week, Medvedev is – as usual – in the cruise control. World No. 2 continued his impressive form and followed his teammate’s hard fought success with a fierce 6-4, 6-4 victory over Mikael Ymer.
“Madrid feels like home,” Medvedev noted. “We win a lot. It was a big boost of confidence to beat the home team (in the group stage). We win a lot of games; we did not lose a draw in the group. Saturday will be my first (Davis Cup) semifinal, so I’m really looking forward to it.
“In general, I feel like I’m doing what I have to do – playing pretty well. The longer you are in the tournament, the better you have to play, the better players you will face. That’s what I need to do next time; just stay more confident and play even better. “
Next up for Medvedev and company is Germany on Saturday. The Germans are without Alexander Zverev, but Jan-Lennard Struff led them past Great Britain in the quarter-finals.
On the other side of the Davis Cup final, Serbia and Croatia fought into the semis. Novak Djokovic Vs. Marin Cilic is the only confirmed rubber in that match, which will be played on Friday in Madrid.
Ricky contributes10sballs.com and also has its own tennis website, The grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.