Daniil Medvedev went into meltdown mode on Sunday during a highly charged 6-4, 6-3 loss, with opponent Taylor Fritz beginning the ATP finals with a group win in Turin.
Medvedev was docked a point penalty during a heated moment in the second set after he lost the opening set against the world No. 6 American on three straight double-faults.
He was penalised a point for tossing his racquet and then hitting it on a courtside mic after a mis-hit winning lob from his opponent handed Fritz the lead of a set and 4-2.
The remaining three games were a mere formality, with the September US Open finalist ending with a love game for a 50th season victory after 79 minutes.
“Free points on my serve were a big part of it,” Fritz said. “he’s such a good returner, you need a very high quality first serve.
“This was a huge win for me, I hit a lot of lines and spots. I got out of a lot of games with no pressure
“On the tight ones, I was able to grind through or get some free points on serve.”
But Fritz said that even with a big lead in the second set, he could not let down his guard.
“I thought in the 5-3 game he was going to re-set and try as hard as he could to break me.
“You can’t relax and think they are done. You can’t drop your level, you have to stay focused.
“No one expected me here in 2022, I was the last one in. But now I’m fifth (in the eight-man field) and I’m expected to do better.
“I’m just super-happy with how I played today.”
