Cincinnati 2019 semifinal: Novak Djokovic vs Daniil Medvedev, preview and prediction
Daniil Medvedev has only one thing separating him from making it to his second Masters 1000 in as many weeks. That is the top seed and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who the Russian will have to get the better of to get to the summit clash.
Past hardcourt performances notwithstanding, Medvedev has a real shot at upsetting the defending champion in Cincinnati. He has been playing some of his best tennis this season and the results have reflected that.
Djokovic, on the other hand, has had his struggles on the hardcourts this year. Barring his title run at Melbourne Park, he has underperformed in almost all his campaigns on the blue turf. The Serb would be looking to put all that behind him, but his semifinal against Medvedev is still a tough ask.
Medvedev has a very good overall game and can trouble his opponents with his court craft, if not the power of his groundstrokes. It resembles Djokovic's game style to an extent - both of them are comfortable engaging in long grueling rallies more than others. They would rather wear their opponents out by making every ball instead of looking for outright winners.
That style of play was on full display in their Australian Open fourth round match, which Djokovic won in four sets. There were numerous extended rallies that really put their patience to the test; while Djokovic came out on top eventually, there was little separating the two.
They met on another occasion in 2019, in the Monte Carlo quarterfinals. Medvedev came up trumps in that one, winning the match 6-2 in the third set. While that was a claycourt match, it did show that the Russian is capable of getting the better of the Serb.
If things get close, Djokovic might have an edge in Cincinnati considering his uncanny ability to win big points. That said, Medvedev has played many a big point this year as well. He is tied with Rafael Nadal for most match wins in 2019, and will be high on confidence when he walks out on court later tonight.
Djokovic's hunger for success and desire to put his hardcourt setbacks behind him might drive him to go all out in this one though. If that is indeed the case, there are only so many things that Medvedev can do to stop the World No. 1.
Prediction: Djokovic to win in three.