Tennis: Daniil Medvedev triumphant in the Paris Masters event for his third Masters title

Daniil Medvedev emerged champion at the Paris Masters after Sunday’s final against Alexander Zverev ended 5-7 6-4 6-1 in favour of the world number five.

Zverev, on the back of winning two titles in his native Germany last month and dispatching Rafael Nadal in the semifinals on Saturday, took the initiative and raced into an early lead, but Russian third seed Medvedev fought his way back to claim victory in two hours seven minutes.

He has now won twice in seven meetings with Zverev, with the first coming at the Shanghai Masters final in 2019.

The 24-year-old appeared in a final for the first time since doing so in China a year ago, after beating 10th seed Milos Raonic on Saturday.

And after a tight opening two sets against world number seven Zverez, he wrapped up an impressive victory after racing into a 4-0 lead in the decider.

Medvedev’s 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 win in France delivered his eighth career title and third victory in a Masters event.

“I managed to stay really strong, be there all the time,” said the third-seeded Russian during his trophy presentation.

“One last thing,” he continued, “I know there’s going to be a lot of people that are trying to wipe a smile off my face, but under this mask, I’m smiling brightly. I feel incredible on court and I have the people that I love around me. I’m probably going to be a father very soon, so everything is great in my life. They keep trying, but I’m still smiling under this mask.”

Zverev who was reluctant to elaborate on what exactly he meant in his post-match news conference continued;

“I mean, just a lot of,” he started to say, before reaching for his pocket to pick up his ringing phone.

“For a professional athlete, there are always going to be people who try to wipe the smile off your face. So they can keep trying. I’m still smiling.”

Earlier during the tournament, Zverev denied accusations of domestic abuse against him by ex-girlfriend, Olga Sharypova, who claimed that he tried to suffocate her with a pillow in the wake of the 2019 US Open.