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World number five Daniil Medvedev ended Casper Ruud’s giant-killing spree with a 6-3, 7-6 (8\/6) victory on Tuesday to seal Russia’s place in the quarter-finals of the ATP Cup.<\/p>\n
The US Open finalist continued his ominous form ahead of the Australian Open, hitting 34 winners and 13 aces in the one hour 33-minute contest.<\/p>\n
Medvedev wrapped up the tie for unbeaten Russia ahead of the doubles after world number 17 Karen Khachanov easily beat Viktor Durasovic 6-2, 6-1.<\/p>\n
“Maybe the score doesn’t say everything about the match because it was really close and both of us could have won,” Medvedev said of his first-ever clash against Ruud.<\/p>\n
The towering Russian was particularly impressive at the net, winning 14 of 19 points.<\/p>\n
“Against Casper I knew I had to finish some points at the net,” he said. “I knew I had to be aggressive and I think it helped me a lot.”<\/p>\n
Group D winner Russia advanced to the knockout stages in Sydney, while Norway’s surprising run, which started with a stunning upset of the United States, ended.<\/p>\n
Ruud, whose father Christian is Norway’s captain and his coach, upset Italian world number 12 Fabio Fognini on Sunday after beating American John Isner, ranked 19, two days earlier.<\/p>\n
The 21-year-old is a product of Rafael Nadal’s tennis academy in Mallorca and has received high praise from the Spaniard, who dubbed him “amazing” on Monday.<\/p>\n
Ruud continued to impress but was no match for Medvedev, who has steadily built his form after victories over Fognini and Isner.<\/p>\n
Both players slugged relentlessly from the baseline in a high-quality contest, but Medvedev\u2019s consistency wore down the world number 53.<\/p>\n
The Russian ripped several passing shots for winners and showcased his repertoire with deft drop shots as he dominated at the net.<\/p>\n
Medvedev was under pressure in the second set and down an early break, but hit back on Ruud\u2019s serve in the fifth game before closing out the match in a tense tight break.<\/p>\n
In the earlier singles, Khachanov breezed past world number 329 Durasovic.<\/p>\n
He broke twice in a lopsided first set and kept the foot on the gas to maintain his unbeaten start to the season.<\/p>\n
“Happy to start like this and I think match by match I’m playing better,” said Khachanov, who defeated Italy’s Stefano Travaglia and American Taylor Fritz earlier in the tournament.<\/p>\n
Italy and the United States clash in the later Group D tie.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n