RUSSIA saluted in the 2021 Davis Cup Final after defeating Croatia 2-0 overnight. The Russian singles pairing of Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev proved too strong for opponents Borna Gojo and Marin Cilic, not dropping a set in either match.

With world number two Medvedev expected to win his singles, and the Croatian world number one doubles combination of Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic to grab the victory in the deciding match, Rublev had to make sure it never got there. He started the tournament off shaky, winning two of his first three matches all against lower opponents, but all went to three sets. His win over Dominik Koepfer in just 48 minutes in the semi-final was far better, and he would need to replicated it against the in-form Gojo.

In a match that lasted one hour and 33 minutes, Rublev triumphed 6-4 7-6, including a 7-5 second set tiebreak. He weathered 15 aces from the Croatian, serving a handy eight himself. He also only dropped three points off his first serve and never faced a break point, instead breaking Gojo once from eight chances. Rublev doubled his opponents’ winners (18-9) and committed just four unforced errors for the entire match, as Gojo hit 29. In what was a crucial match, Rublev came up trumps, and secured the win for Russia.

“It was super tough,” Rublev said post-match. “There was a lot of pressure on me. Borna was playing unbelievably for the past two weeks. He has been some amazing players and was amazing today. I will enjoy the moment.”

Medvedev did not have it all his own way against Cilic however, needing to go all the way deep into a first set tiebreaker. The Russian world number two eventually got out of it winning 9-7, but not without some nervous moments. It was neck-and-neck throughout the first set, and then the Russian pulled away in the second set to record a 7-6 6-2 victory in an hour and 28 minutes. Whilst Cilic looked good throughout the first set, Medvedev’s consistency earned him, and his nation the win.

Both players produced eight aces, with Medvedev marginally ahead on first points won (87 to 82 per cent) with both players serving at 62 per cent efficiency. It was the second serve where Medvedev really separated himself from Cilic, winning 54 to 39 per cent of the points. He also broke twice in the second set, always being ahead of the game, whilst Cilic was unable to capitalise on the one break point opportunity he had. Cilic did hit three more winners than Medvedev (14-11), but also seven more unforced errors (17-10), and in the end the world number two was too strong, saluting in straight sets.

“It feels amazing,” Medvedev said post-match. “I am more happy for the team than myself. We have an amazing team with an amazing atmosphere and I am just happy to be able to be part of this team to win the points we needed. It was an amazing two weeks. I am really happy.”

Russia won its first Davis Cup title since 2006, and third overall, bolting up the Davis Cup order into the Top 10 after being ranked 13th heading into the tournament. It is not all bad news for Croatia, with the runners-up leapfrogging world number one France into the top ranked position.

RESULTS:

Andrey Rublev (RUS) defeated Borna Gojo (CRO) 6-4 7-6
Daniil Medvedev (RUS) defeated Marin Cilic (CRO) 7-6 6-2