World No. 1 Serb out of Cincinnati Masters after shock 6-3, 3-6, 3-6 defeat to Daniil Medvedev in semi-final
Novak Djokovic is dejected after losing a point to Daniil Medvedev during the semi-final of the Cincinati Masters on Saturday. Pic/AFP
Cincinnati: World No. 1 Novak Djokovic wilted under pressure from Daniil Medvedev on Saturday, falling 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to the ninth-seeded Russian in the Cincinnati Masters semi-finals.
Medvedev's upset win sent him into a title showdown with another unexpected finalist, 16th-seeded Belgian David Goffin, who defeated France's Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final.
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Novak caught out
A fuming Djokovic, who looked to have control of the contest in the early going, was caught out when Medvedev stepped things up in the second set. "I don't know how I turned it around, I was so tired after the first set and I thought I might not be able to keep up the intensity," said Medvedev.
"But I had a momentum chance in the second set and the crowd gave me energy," added the Russian, who will be playing his second Masters series final in eight days, after falling to Rafael Nadal in Montreal last Sunday.
"Novak had been destroying me on second serve, so I just went for it," Medvedev said. "It's a great feeling to win and beat the number one. That shows I deserve to be in this final. I played an unbelievable match, I'm very happy."
Daniil Medvedev
Medvedev also beat Djokovic in their last meeting, on clay at Monte Carlo in April. Djokovic, the defending champion who was playing his first tournament since his
Kuznetsova stuns Barty
Meanwhile, there was an upset in the women's draw as well, as Russian veteran Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated top-seeded Australian Ashleigh Barty 6-2, 6-4.
Kuznetsova will be in search of her 19th WTA title — and her first in more than a year — when she takes on American Madison Keys in the final. Keys defeated compatriot Sofia Kenin 7-5, 6-4.
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