Daniil Medvedev vs. Tommy Paul
Previously, the future of three Americans in their mid-20s, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul was discussed here.
Collectively, they’ve put U.S. men’s tennis back on the map in recent years, but their rise up the rankings has collectively stalled just outside the Top 10. Will there be more to their story, or is this as far as they get?
Fritz and Tiafoe are both gone from Indian Wells, but Paul has survived into the semis. A match with Medvedev, at this late stage of a Masters 1000, is exactly the type of moment I was talking about for the Americans. History, rankings and conventional wisdom say that it will be the end of the road for Paul. While he’s a great player, most people surely believe he’s a tier below Medvedev.
This is a chance, in other words, for Paul to show that he’s got more in him. He’s coming off a run to the final in Delray, and he beat a former No. 2 player in Casper Ruud in three sets on Tuesday. Doing the same thing to Medvedev will be much bigger ask. Paul is 0-2 against the Russian, and has yet to find a formula that that will allow him break down the Russian’s cunning defenses.
Maybe Paul can take heart from the way that two other young players, Ugo Humbert and Sebastian Korda, successfully pressured Medvedev recently.
Humbert beat him, and Korda took a set from him, by attacking relentlessly until each of them found a groove with their ground strokes that Medvedev couldn’t counter. It’s not easy, and it requires patience and belief, but Medvedev does give his opponents a chance to find a rhythm and get dialed in.
Winner: Medvedev
