The Italian led early in all three sets but had to save two break points at 3-4 in the second set to stall Alcaraz’s charge towards a straight-sets victory, before he put his foot down to storm past the physically struggling Spaniard in the decider. Presented with the chance to avenge his semi-final loss to Alcaraz in Indian Wells from two weeks prior, Sinner prevailed in a match of the highest quality to end Alcaraz’s reign as World No. One of the most intriguing Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalries of 2023 arguably hit its high point at March’s Miami Open presented by Itau, where Jannik Sinner notched a statement semi-final triumph against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. For the Serbian, victory in Adelaide laid the foundations for his run to a 10th Australian Open crown later that month, a triumph which drew him level with Rafael Nadal on 22 Grand Slam titles.ģ) Miami SF, Sinner d Alcaraz 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2 Tough luck today, but the future is bright for you, so just keep going, and you're an amazing player.”ĭjokovic’s plaudits of Korda were further backed up a few weeks later, when the American reached his maiden major quarter-final in Melbourne. "It was decided in one or two shots, one or two points. “I'd probably say that you were closer to victory today than I was," Djokovic said to Korda during the trophy presentation. In a nod to his resilience throughout the match, the top seed tapped his temple with his finger after completing his win. Djokovic kept his cool to force a tie-break before finding a late break of Korda's serve in the decider to clinch victory. Yet the American was unable to find the decisive blow to clinch victory in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the Serbian great. Korda’s fearless approach to an engrossing encounter that featured plenty of intense baseline exchanges earned him a championship point at 6-5, 30/40 on Djokovic's serve in the second set. Novak Djokovic had dispatched third seed Medvedev with ease in the semi-finals at the ATP 250 but was forced to battle back from the very brink to overhaul Sebastian Korda and seal his 92nd tour-level crown in the opening week of the season. So when I was walking I was limping and then I was running fine.”Ĥ) Adelaide 1 F, Djokovic d Korda 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 6-4Ī blockbuster way to kick-start 2023 at the Adelaide International 1. What was surprising was it was much easier to run than walk. "But then the pain started growing very fast, so I was like 'That is not a good sign'… It was one of the first times in my life that the physio had taped my ankle, so I decided to give it a try. "When I twisted, I thought I was going to stand up just fine," Medvedev said. 6 was able to wear down the German and reach his first Indian Wells quarter-final. It was only after Medvedev saved all 10 break points he faced in the second set, during which he also rolled heavily over his right ankle, that the then-World No. Yet the German came out strong against an opponent who was fresh from lifting consecutive trophies in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai. Zverev was 8-7 for the year heading into the match and was still rebuilding confidence in his movement after missing the second half of 2022 with a serious right ankle injury. Medvedev clung on for a thrilling three, hour, 16-minute triumph in Indian Wells to extend his early-season winning streak to 17 matches, but that only told half the story of the fourth-round clash at the ATP Masters 1000. Medvedev and Alexander Zverev reactivated their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry after 15 months away in style at the BNP Paribas Open in March. On Sunday, we will focus on the best Grand Slam matches of the year.ĥ) Indian Wells R16, Medvedev d Zverev 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5 As part of of ’s annual season-in-review series, we count down the best matches on the ATP Tour this season. The Top 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings - Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner - were among those to play their part in some classic encounters this year. Djokovic and Alcaraz’s marathon Cincinnati final tops list By ATP StaffĪnother ATP Tour season full of gripping storylines, magic moments and standout achievements is in the books… but which matches from 2023 will live longest in fans' memories?
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