Daniil Medvedev told Carlos Alcaraz that he would have to try dressing like Botic van de Zandschulp after the Spaniard defeated him 7-5 6-3 to advance to the China Open final in Beijing.
Van de Zandschulp pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year when he defeated Alcaraz in the US Open second round last month.
However, the 21-year-old has been playing exceptionally well lately. He defeated Medvedev and made it to the China Open final for the first time with yet another thrilling performance.
After losing to the Russian in the US Open semifinals in New York last year, Alcaraz has now prevailed in their last four encounters.
The world No. 5 covered his mouth as he went to shake hands after Alcaraz defeated him for the third time this year. The Spaniard responded by shaking his head and laughing.
In his press conference after the match, Medvedev explained hilariously: “I told Carlos next match I’m going to paint my hair blond and put ‘Botic’ here [drawing a line across his chest]. Maybe this can help. As I say, today I played pretty well. I don’t see how I could beat him today, on a given day today. Next match I need to try something. Maybe throw him off a little bit. But it’s a joke, of course.”
Daniil Medvedev on what he told Carlos Alcaraz at the net after their match in Beijing
“I told Carlos next match I’m going to paint my hair blond and put ‘Botic’ here. Maybe this can help.” 😂
“As I say, today I played pretty well. I don’t see how I could beat him today on a… pic.twitter.com/5g9iMn8ub4
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 1, 2024
Alcaraz in Beijing, ranking, and results in 2024
WLWLLWLWWW Currently the world no.3, Carlos has managed to achieve a composed 47-9 match record in 2024. Carlos is currently playing in Beijing where he defeated the world no.51 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4 6-4, the world no.39 Tallon Griekspoor 6-1 6-2, the world no.27 Karen Khachanov 7-5 6-2 and the world no.5 Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-3.
Carlos Alcaraz will fight against the world no.358 Gabi Adrian Boitan in the . They have never competed against each other so far on the main tour.
Alcaraz has won 3 titles in 2024 in Indian Wells, French Open and Wimbledon. Carlos got to the final in Paris (Olympics).
The Spaniard won 16 titles in his career: 4 on hard courts, 8 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 3 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Daniil Medvedev in 2024
Currently the world no.5, Medvedev played his last match on the 1st of October when he was overcome by world no.3 Carlos Alcaraz 7-5 6-3 in the semifinal in Beijing (draw).
Currently, during this year the Russian has an overall 42-17 record. Daniil Medvedev’s best result of the present season was getting to the final at the Australian Open and Indian Wells.
Daniil Medvedev will square off with the world no.220 Diego Schwartzman in the Round Robin on Sunday at 4:00 pm on CENTER COURT. Their record is 6-0 for Medvedev.
The Russian reached the final at the Australian Open and in Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open).
The Russian won 21 titles in his career: 11 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts, 8 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev played each other 8 times. The head to head is 6-2 for Alcaraz. Previously, the last time they fought against each other, Carlos Alcaraz won 7-5 6-3 in the semifinal in Beijing (China Open) on the 1st of October 2024.
You can see them in action in the following highlights.
