Daniil Medvedev seals Sydney International title with victory over Alex De Minaur
Juan Martin del Potro suffers shock defeat at ASB Classic in Auckland
Saturday 13 January 2018 11:42, UK
Daniil Medvedev ended the title hopes of local teenager Alex De Minaur in a gripping Sydney International final.
De Minaur's sensational start to the season has been the talk of tennis, with the 18-year-old reaching the semi-finals in Brisbane and then going one better in his home city.
The fairy tale looked very much on when De Minaur raced through the opening set but Russian Medvedev, only three years older but significantly more experienced, turned the tables to win 1-6 6-4 7-5.
De Minaur was roared on throughout and saved a match point before fighting from a break down to level at 5-5 in the decider.
But Medvedev broke serve again and this time held firm to clinch his first ATP Tour title.
De Minaur will now hope to write some more headlines at the Australian Open, where he will face 19th seed Tomas Berdych in the first round.
Roberto Bautista Agut caused an upset in the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland by beating Juan Martin del Potro.
The gritty Spaniard raced through the first set and then proved just the stronger in the decider to win 6-1 4-6 7-5.
Del Potro, projected to rise to 10 in the world rankings next week, said he was pleased with his performance as he gears up for the Australian Open.
"It was a good start of the year for me. I didn't expect to reach a final in my first tournament," said the 2009 US Open champion.
"I played well and I'm looking forward to doing well in Melbourne. It's a big event for me, another Grand Slam which is amazing after all my wrist problems."
