The first 4 games of the 2021 Open 13 Provence final are dominated by the servers. At 2-2, it's the lower ranked player (Herbert) who is faced with the first break points of the match. One is enough for Medvedev to take the lead (3-2), serve to follow. But in the next game, the Frenchman breaks at 15. An exchange of break points and that's it? Herbert, who wants to keep his serve, saves two break points. The third one is the right one for the Russian, who shoots a cross-court passing shot that Herbert can only hit but not deliver. This break in the famous 7th game is what allows the Russian to secure the first set. After 38 minutes, Medvedev leads 6-4.
At 40-all in the first game of the second set, Herbert served a double fault that gave his opponent a break point. But after an interminable exchange, during which the Frenchman defended remarkably well, he pushed Medvedev to play closer and closer to the line, until he finally made a mistake. Herbert, ranked 93rd in the world, held his ground against the man who will be number two tomorrow. In the next game, Medvedev defends two break points. Then nothing more until the tie-break.
In this decisive game, the first to make the difference is Daniil Medvedev who manages the mini-break. But Herbert, who has been solid in every match since the beginning of the week, does not panic. The young father remained calm and made up for the break. And it is on the contrary the Russian who gets tense. Herbert accelerated and found himself at 6-4, with two equalizing points at one set apiece. At the end of a beautiful exchange, during which Herbert dictates the game remarkably, what had to happen happened: P2H equalizes at one set everywhere by granting himself the decisive game 7-6(4).
At the beginning of the third set, both players start serving very, very well. The white games follow one another, four in a row to be precise. Logically, no break point to be declared. The closer we get to the finish line, the more precise the servers are. At 4-5 down and on serve, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, for the first time this week, let the pressure show. On the other side of the net, Daniil Medvedev didn't expect much. He immediately sensed an opportunity and took advantage of it to steal his opponent's serve and, above all, add his name to the tournament's record books. Daniil Medvedev won 6-4 6-7(4) 6-4, in 2h11.
In his post-match speech, the Russian said he would meet the fans at the Palais des Sports in Marseille next year to celebrate his title in style. All right, Daniil. Congratulations to you, and see you next year.
