All news

Rublev defeats Medvedev in exhibition match in Mexico

It was the first ATP tournament final featuring two Russian players in the men’s singles category in 14 years

MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev defeated his compatriot Daniil Medvedev in an exhibition match in Mexico on Tuesday.

The match, which was played on the hard court at the Plaza de Toros in the capital of Mexico, ended with Rublev winning 6-4; 2-6; 7-6 (7-4).

The two players, who participate in international tennis tournaments under a neutral status, previously faced off against each other on March 4, in the final of the ATP 500 Dubai Open tennis tournament. In that match, Medvedev breezed past his fellow Russian in straight sets 6-2; 6-2.

It was the first ATP tournament final featuring two Russian players in the men’s singles category in 14 years. In 2008, Russia’s Igor Kunitsyn squared off against compatriot Marat Safin in the final of the ATP Kremlin Cup.

Medvedev, 27, is currently ranked 5th in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Rankings. In 2022, he was the number one ranked tennis player in the world for 16 weeks. He is the 2021 US Open Champion in addition to being the winner of 18 ATP tournaments.

Rublev, 25, is currently ranked 7th in the ATP World Rankings. He is the winner of 12 ATP tournaments. He has also appeared in numerous Grand Slam tournaments, never going further than the quarterfinals. While playing for the Russian national team, he took home the gold at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in mixed doubles (with teammate Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova) and also won the 2021 Davis Cup.

Tags