Start time: 0845, 19/02/2021
Stadium: Rod Laver Arena
TV: Eurosport
Stefanos Tsitsipas looked to be on his way out of the Australian Open after losing the first two sets against Rafael Nadal but is now one win away from a maiden grand slam final.
While Tsitsipas produced a stunning comeback to beat the Spaniard, Daniil Medvedev had no such drama as he cruised to a straight-sets victory over Andrey Rublev.
That extended his winning run to 19 matches and we’re backing him to maintain his hot streak at 2/5 as our first Medvedev vs Tsitsipas prediction.
A Look At Daniil Medvedev’s Betting Odds
The in-form world number four was expected to be given a stern test in his all-Russian clash with Rublev but eased to a 7-5 6-3 6-2 victory against his ATP Cup team-mate.
Rublev was clearly struggling with the heat as the match wore on while Medvedev, who won the ATP Finals in London at the end of last year and went unbeaten through Russia’s ATP Cup triumph, needed treatment on his thigh after the match.
The former US Open finalist said: “I started cramping in my quad. I saw he was cramping also so I tried not to show it but I couldn’t really move my left leg at the end.
“It was super tough, we had some unbelievable rallies. I think I’m one of the first players to make Andrey tired on court so I’m quite happy about it.
“To play my friend? It’s never easy but we’re all super competitive. It was one of the best matches I’ve played lately. To beat him in three sets without a tie-break, I’m very happy about that.”
Medvedev will have enjoyed a longer rest than Tsitsipas and has won five of their six meetings, including all three on outdoor hard courts.
We expect him to come out firing and fancy him to win the first set 6-4 at 4/1 in the Medvedev vs Tsitsipas odds.
A Look At Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Betting Odds
Tsitsipas lost in straight sets to Nadal at the Australian Open two years ago and the same outcome looked likely on Wednesday when the Spaniard took the first two sets.
This time Tsitsipas had other ideas, though, as he completed a stunning 3-6 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 7-5 victory to become only the second man, along with Fabio Fognini, to come from two sets down to beat Nadal at a grand slam.
Tsitsipas somehow clung on to edge the third set, even though Nadal dropped just one point on serve in taking it to a tie-break.
It was the first set Nadal had dropped at the tournament and brought to an end a run of 35 consecutive sets won at grand slams.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling to be able to fight at such a level and give my all on court,” said Tsitsipas.
“I started very nervous but I don’t know what happened after the third set. I flew like a little bird.
“Everything was working for me and the emotions are indescribable. I’m really happy with the attitude I showed on court.”
As already mentioned, Tsitsipas has only beaten Medvedev on one occasion, which was their most recent meeting at the 2019 ATP Finals.
He has only lost once in straight sets to the Russian and clearly has the character needed to not let his head drop even when he is up against it.
Winning one set should be possible but ultimately we fancy his opponent to go through in four sets at 11/4 as our final Medvedev vs Tsitsipas prediction.
Additional stats
Quarter-final results:
MEDVEDEV beat Rublev 7-5 6-3 6-2
TSITSIPAS beat Nadal 3-6 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 7-5
Head to head: Medvedev 5-1 Tsitsipas
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