Daniil Medvedev (Image Credit: The Tennis Letter)
5th seed Daniil Medvedev squares off against Alexander Zverev in the round of 16 of the 2023 Indian Wells on Tuesday.
The Russian star has been in fine form and is currently on a 16-match winning streak. Medvedev won the three previous tournaments he played in prior to Indian Wells. After receiving a bye into the second round, Medvedev began his Indian Wells campaign with a relatively comfortable win against Brandon Nakashima. The match ended 6-4, 6-3 in favor of the former world No. 1. Nakashima had 6 break points but couldn’t convert any of them.
In the round of 32, Medvedev faced Ilya Ivashka. The former won the match 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, smashing 8 aces in the process. This is the first time Medvedev lost a set in 9 matches.
The former world No. 2 returned to action in the Australian Open after recovering from a devastating ankle injury. He took time to settle down and showed good form in the Dubai Tennis Championships, making the semifinals.
In the round of 64, Zverev made light work of Pedro Cachin, winning the lopsided contest 6-3, 6-1. The German star smashed 7 aces and had a win percentage of 79 on the first serve. He also converted 4 out of 6 break points. Zverev went on to defeat Finnish No. 1 Emil Ruusuvuori in the round of 32 in three sets 7-5, 1-6, 7-5. The 25-year-old Zverev sent across 8 aces in the pulsating encounter.
The two players have faced each other on 12 occasions with the head-to-head split evenly at 6-6. Zverev defeated Medvedev 6-4, 6-4 in their most recent encounter in the championship match of the 2021 ATP Finals.
Prediction: Daniil Medvedev to win in three sets.
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