CINCINNATI, USA, Aug 18 – Daniil Medvedev kept Denis Shapovalov winless against world number one players with a 7-5, 7-5 defeat on Thursday at the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Masters.
The Canadian, who lost in an hour and three-quarters, has dropped all eight career matches he has played against the elite echelon.
Medvedev moved into a quarter-final against 11th seed Taylor Fritz after the American stopped number six seed Andrey Rublev.
“It was a fight today, definitely not easy,” said Medvedev, who clinched the top US Open seeding when Rafael Nadal lost here in the second round.
“The match was pretty tight, played at a great level.
“My goal was to stay in every point possible and try to put pressure on him if I had the chance.”
“I’m happy with the level, this match could have gone either way.”
Medvedev secured late breaks in both sets as he matched his volatile Canadian opponent.
Medvedev and Fritz have never played.
“We trained together at the start of the season before the ATP Cup,” Medvedev said. “He won Indian Wells, he’s a Masters champion. I need to be at my best to try and beat him.”
