Fixture: (1) Daniil Medvedev vs Tim van Rijthoven
Date: 12 June 2022.
Tournament: Libema Open 2022.
Round: Final.
Venue: 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: €648,130.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Discovery.
Daniil Medvedev vs Tim van Rijthoven preview
Top seed Daniil Medvedev will take on Tim van Rijthoven in the final of the Libema Open on Sunday.
Daniil Medvedev has had a good start to his grasscourt season, winning all his matches in Stuttgart in straight sets. He ousted defending champion Adrian Mannarino in the semifinals in two hard-fought sets to make it to his first ATP final of the year.
Both players were slow off the blocks in the semifinals, losing their opening service games. But Medvedev steadied the ship to open up a 4-2 lead. The Frenchman managed to level the score at 4-4 but suffered a lapse in concentration to hand Medvedev the first set.
The Russian broke in the fifth game of the second set. He lost his serve while serving for the match but hit back instantly, winning the next two games and securing his place in the final.
The World No. 2 is on a three-match losing streak in finals on the ATP tour, but all of those encounters were against top-5 opponents.
Tim van Rijthoven continued his fantastic week in front of his home crowd with a three-set win over second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals.
The Dutchman showed no signs of nerves on the big occasion. He capitalized on a break of serve in the sixth game to win the first set 6-3. However, Auger-Aliassime was strong in his reply, winning the second set 6-1.
Tim van Rijthoven produced some jaw-dropping tennis in the decider, which went to a tie-break. The Dutchman clinched a thrilling tie-break to advance to his first-ever ATP final.`
Daniil Medvedev vs Tim van Rijthoven head-to-head
Medvedev and van Rijthoven have never faced each other, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Daniil Medvedev vs Tim van Rijthoven odds
(All odds are sourced by BetMGM)
Daniil Medvedev vs Tim van Rijthoven prediction
Medvedev is the overwhelming favorite heading into this encounter, but van Rijthoven will have the crowd on his side.
Medvedev won 73 percent of his first serve points against Mannarino and converted five of his 10 break point opportunities. The World No. 2 is an excellent mover across the court. The quick court conditions will aid his powerful serve and groundstrokes.
Tim van Rijthoven will be high on confidence following his semi-final win over Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Dutchman won 83 percent of his first serve points and converted two of his three break point chances. Van Rijthoven has a big serve and will have to use it to good effect to have any chance against Medvedev.
Van Rijthoven will put up a fight and will be urged on by the partisan home crowd. But Medvedev should prove too strong for the Dutchman to win his first title of the season and second on grass.
Pick: Medvedev to win in three sets.