Medvedev Wins Maiden Major, Djokovic Foiled & Zverev Captures Titles

The third quarter of the 2021 ATP Tour season saw maiden major success, breakthrough runs and history made.

Daniil Medvedev ended Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of the Grand Slam to claim his first major title at the US Open, while Alexander Zverev backed up his golden triumph at the Tokyo Olympics with his fifth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati.

Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas continued to produce consistent performances to rise into the Top 3 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time and Felix Auger-Aliassime strengthened his claim for a spot at the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals with a semi-final run at Flushing Meadows.

Medvedev’s Major Breakthrough The Russian had a North American hard-court swing to remember as he captured his first major title at the US Open, a month after winning his fourth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Toronto.

After arriving on the hard courts in Canada following a quarter-final exit to Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta at the Tokyo Olympics, Medvedev quickly clicked into gear on a surface he has now won 12 tour-level titles on. The World No. 2 battled past Alexander Bublik and Hubert Hurkacz before conquering Reilly Opelka’s thunderous serve in the final to lift the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers trophy.

While his bid to become the seventh male player to clinch the Cincinnati-Toronto double was ended by countryman Andrey Rublev in the semi-finals in Ohio, the 25-year-old quickly put this behind him. Medvedev stormed through the field at the US Open, dropping one set en route to a historic championship match clash with World No. 1 Djokovic.

In an enthralling final, Medvedev, who has now compiled an 18-2 record since Wimbledon, overcame Djokovic in straight sets to earn the biggest win of his career and become the third Russian, alongside Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin, to triumph at a major.

“You never know if you're going to achieve it in your career,” Medvedev said following his victory over Djokovic. “Again I was always saying, ‘If I don't, I just want to know that I did my best to do it’. That's my first Grand Slam. I don't know how I'm going to feel if I win a second one or third one. That's my first one, so I'm really happy.”

Medvedev’s run in New York also means he has qualified for the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November.