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Daniil Medvedev wins in Dubai for third title in three weeks
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Daniil Medvedev (L) and Andrey Rublev (R) celebrate with their respective trophies after the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 4, 2023. /CFP
Daniil Medvedev (L) and Andrey Rublev (R) celebrate with their respective trophies after the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 4, 2023. /CFP

Daniil Medvedev (L) and Andrey Rublev (R) celebrate with their respective trophies after the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 4, 2023. /CFP

Daniil Medvedev conquered all remaining doubts as he completed an impressive hat-trick, picking up a third title in as many weeks with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Andrey Rublev in the Dubai final on Saturday.

"Not over yet," scribbled the third-seeded Medvedev on the TV camera lens after his triumph, referring to his current 14-match winning streak amassed over the last 19 days, starting with the title in Rotterdam, followed by Doha and now Dubai.

"It's amazing because the start of the year was not perfect; in tennis, when you don't win tournaments, you're always doubting no matter what happens in practice," said Medvedev, who briefly dropped out of the top 10 last month before recovering in tremendous fashion.

"I was doubting a lot, and now it just feels better. I'm really happy with these three weeks, and I'm looking forward to the next ones."

Playing free-flowing tennis throughout the week, which earned him a coveted victory over world number one Novak Djokovic in the semifinals before ending Rublev's title defense in the final, Medvedev fired a total of 119 winners through five matches, including 27 in the championship decider.

"A lot of shots this tournament were landing, which were maybe not supposed to be, and that's when confidence is going sometimes, so that helps a lot," said Medvedev, who has now won his last four consecutive matches against top-10 opposition after losing nine in a row.

Daniil Medvedev plays a shot during the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 4, 2023. /CFP
Daniil Medvedev plays a shot during the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 4, 2023. /CFP

Daniil Medvedev plays a shot during the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 4, 2023. /CFP

Rublev was the victor in his previous two clashes with Medvedev coming in but had no answers for his compatriot on Saturday. He tried to venture up to the net, moving forward on 18 occasions but was only successful on 12 of those approaches as Medvedev punished him from the back of the court.

"I think it was a very tactical match. I know that Andrey can cause a lot of troubles for everyone on tour. So, for sure, every time we play, he tries to make me suffer; I try to make him suffer. 

"Today, I managed to be on top, but next matches could be a different story," said Medvedev, who leads his childhood friend 5-2 head-to-head in tour-level meetings.

Meanwhile, Rublev has yet to successfully defend any of his 12 career titles but can take positives from his runner-up showing this week in Dubai.

"I had great matches, great victories; I was supposed to lose in the second round," said Rublev, who saved five consecutive match points in his encounter with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina earlier in the week.

"But in the end, I found a way to be alive until the final, and then Daniil destroyed me tonight ... Only four games, I don't know how he's doing that, three titles in a row. It's my first final of the season. I told him I'm completely destroyed, and he won three titles in a row. 

"I think I never said this to Daniil face to face, but I have huge, huge respect for him."

Source(s): AFP

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