Russia’s Daniil Medvedev won his first Cincinnati title on Sunday, concluding a tournament that brought more questions than clarity to the upcoming U.S. Open.
Will stumbles in the men’s bracket at the Western & Southern Open carry over to New York? And is Medvedev capable of carrying his newfound momentum into a Grand Slam event? After winning the biggest tournament title of his career, he was already getting asked about how it might transfer to the bigger stage.
The bracket in Cincinnati was billed as a reunion of the Big Four — Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray back together for the first time since January. None of them made it to the final.
Nadal won the Rogers Cup last Sunday and withdrew from the Western & Southern, citing fatigue. Murray played singles for the first time since hip surgery in January and lost his opening match. Seven-time champion Federer was knocked out in the quarterfinals, and Djokovic lost to Medvedev in the semifinals with the crowd cheering him on.
The Russian thanked the crowd for its support after beat David Goffin 7-6 (3), 6-4 for his first Masters 1000 title Sunday. It was his third straight final, but the first time he’d won. Medvedev lost to Nadal on Montreal a week earlier, then went on to reach his sixth final of this season, most on the ATP tour. He’s won twice.
“To finally lift the trophy this week is an amazing feeling,” Medvedev said.
At age 23, he became the youngest Cincinnati champion since Murray at age 21 in 2008.
“Congratulations,” Goffin told him, “and I think you’re ready for New York.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.