Top seeds Medvedev, Barty secure triumphs at Cincinnati

Cincinnati, (AFP/APP):Daniil Medvedev took quick revenge on Friday for his Olympic loss to Pablo Carreno Busta, with the top seed at the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Masters delivering a crushing 6-1, 6-1 verdict.
The Russian world number two had it all his way into the semi-finals with a 56-minute rout, which ended on the Spaniard’s double-fault.
“I was feeling great during the match. In these conditions you try to win the match as fast as possible, especially against Carreno Busta, who can catch fire at any moment and start getting you into long rallies,” Medvedev said.
“I tried to keep pushing him and I am really happy I managed to do it.”
Women’s top seed Ashleigh Barty recovered from being down a break in the second set to sweep past fellow French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-2, 6-4.
The Australian handed her Czech opponent only a third loss since mid-May.
Krejcikova won Roland Garros in June while Barty claimed the Paris title in 2019 and Wimbledon this season.
“I feel like I did a good job looking after my own serves,” Barty said. “For all but one service game, I felt like a lot of the time I was in control.
“It was just staying patient, knowing that I was doing the right things.”
Medvedev, last week’s Toronto champion, won his eighth match in a row as he prepares for a final four contest against compatriot Andrey Rublev.
Fourth seed Rublev defeated France’s Benoit Paire 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 with the Russian advancing to his fourth Masters 1000 quarter-final in six tournaments this season.
Medvedev has won all four tour matches against Rublev, including the quarters here in 2019 when Medvedev went on to win the title.
“I’m happy to play against him, because it’s a nice challenge for me to see what I need to improve,” Rublev said.
The Medvedev domination of Carreno Busta was total with the Spaniard never earning a break point while losing serve five times. Medvedev finished with 20 winners and seven unforced errors.
In Saturday’s semi-finals, Barty will face German Angelique Kerber, who advanced 6-4, 3-3 when Czech opponent Petra Kvitova retired with gastric illness.
After winning the opening set in 32 minutes over Krejcikova, Barty fell behind a break in the second. But the deficit was quickly closed as Barty broke her opponent’s final two service games of the match.
Barty advanced with seven aces and four breaks of serve in the 72-minute victory.
The Aussie is level 3-3 in her series with Kerber, beating the three-time Grand Slam winner in their most recent match, a Wimbledon semi-final last month.
“Even on days where she’s not playing her best tennis, she finds a way to scrap and fight and stay in matches and give herself an opportunity,” Barty said of Kerber.
“Angie’s one of the best competitors in the world. She knows how to play big tournaments, knows how to play big matches.”