'Octopus' Daniil Medvedev scripts unreal comeback to beat Alexander Zverev in Australian Open 2024 semi-final
Australian Open 2024: Daniil Medvedev defeated Alexander Zverev 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 in the semi-final of the major at the Rod Laver Arena.
Daniil Medvedev scripted an incredible comeback as he rallied back from 2 sets down to beat Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the semi-final of the Australian Open 2024.
On Friday, January 26 at the Rod Laver Arena, Medvedev fought hard for 4 hours and 18 minutes to beat his German opponent 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.
It was also the second time that Medvedev bounced back in the ongoing hard-court major after going 2 sets down. In the second round, he beat Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6, 6-7 (1-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), 6-0.
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Medvedev will next be up against Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who knocked out 10-time champion Novak Djokovic out of the competition. Medvedev also has his task cut out as Sinner has won 18 out of 19 sets that he has played.
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Medvedev bounces back
Against Medvedev, Zverev started the match with a double break and looked in cruise control, but then Medvedev made a stupendous comeback to make it 5-5. However, instead of getting bogged down, Zverev earned his third break in the set to come up trumps.
Zverev, yet again, got a break of serve to make it 3-2 in the second set. This time around, he did allow Medvedev a breather and closed out the set without having to break a sweat.
From the third set onwards, Medvedev upped his game drastically. After both players held their serves, the third set went in a tie-breaker. 27-year-old Medvedev, who earned the nickname Octopus from Andrey Rublev for his incredible ability to cover the court, won the tie-breaker.
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The fourth set wasn’t any different as yet another time, Medvedev prevailed in a tie-breaker after some nerve-wracking tennis with Zverev.
In the fifth and final set, where the match could have gone either way, Medvedev pulled off his A-game. Zverev was caught napping and had very few answers to the challenges thrown at him by his opponent.
At 2-2, Medvedev earned the much-needed break to look favourite for the first time in the match. From there on, he cruised past Zverev to book a berth in the final.