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World No. 1 does not lose a set en route to the title
Daniil Medvedev claimed his first title of the season on Saturday when he defeated Cameron Norrie 7-5, 6-0 to win the Abierto de Tenis Mifel in Los Cabos.

The World No. 1 did not drop a set all week at the Mexican ATP 250 event to earn his 14th tour-level trophy. It is the 26-year-old’s first triumph since last year’s US Open.

“Every match was very good, but the final is always special,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “In the final you play the best player of this week, so it’s always a high-level match and I’m really happy that I managed to show some good level, some good shots in such an important match.”

Entering the match, Medvedev was on a five-final losing streak dating back to last year’s Rolex Paris Masters. But the top seed did not show any nerves, converting six of his 10 break points to storm to a one-hour, 23-minute win.

“The good thing about tennis is that in one week you can turn around your season,” added Medvedev in his post-match press conference. “Coming here I had lost five finals in a row. That’s not nice, I want to do better.

“You never know if it’s going to happen or not, and for sure before this final I was a little bit nervous, a little bit more than usual. But now I’m really happy [to have won one].”

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The pivotal moment came at the end of the first set. Medvedev held two set points on his serve at 5-4, 40/15, but relinquished his service break. On the first point of the next game, he scraped his hand on the court trying to hit a ball, and needed treatment from the physio as he had drawn blood.

“First set we broke each other two times to be at 5-all and he actually came back from 40/15 and I didn’t play bad in that game at 5-4," Medvedev said on court. "So I knew I just had to stay there. Actually bleeding helped me I think a little bit so I could hold my nerve a little bit more. Since then I just managed to play good and it was enough today.”

But instead of panicking, Medvedev went right back to work. The World No. 1 won the final eight games of the match to complete his first week of competition since Mallorca in June.

“It was not easy. Cam is an amazing player, so it was really intense,” Medvedev said. “When you play against Cam, you know that you have to fight for every point.”

Norrie won his first ATP Tour title last year in Los Cabos and fell just one match short of retaining his trophy.

"I fought as hard as I could but Daniil, he was too good," Norrie said during the trophy ceremony. "Well done to you and your team, definitely deserved it this week."

Did You Know?
With the 250 points he earned in Los Cabos, Medvedev is up to fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin. He is trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fourth consecutive year.

ATPTour.com examines the scenarios in the battle for No. 1
Daniil Medvedev will retain his No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings regardless of how he performs in Montreal this week. However, the ATP Masters 1000 event will play a crucial role in how the battle for World No. 1 develops.

Medvedev arrives in Canada in good form after winning his first title of the season at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel. But he has work to do if he is to prevent Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal from mounting a challenge to his hold on top spot in Cincinnati.

If Medvedev reaches the final of the Canadian event, he will retain World No. 1 through at least the US Open. If he falls before Sunday's final, he will open the door for the Spaniards to put pressure on him in Cincinnati.

Alcaraz must reach the Montreal final to have a chance of climbing to World No. 1 after the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. If the 19-year-old wins his third Masters 1000 title of the season in Canada and Medvedev does not reach the championship match, the battle for World No. 1 will be live between the pair in Cincinnati. If Medvedev fails to reach the Round of 16 in Montreal, Alcaraz will have a shot at No. 1 in Cincinnati by reaching the final in Canada this week.

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Nadal is not competing in Montreal due to an abdominal injury. However, if Medvedev loses before the quarter-finals, the 36-year-old will also have an opportunity in Cincinnati, where he would need to win the title to have a chance to reclaim No. 1 for the first time since January 2020.

Medvedev, who will begin his 12th week at World No. 1 on Monday, does not let the pressure of his position affect him.

“I know what I want to achieve. I know what I do for this, how I work hard for this and that’s what matters to me. I know the people around me support me and for sure I’m really happy as the World No. 1 to get this title,” Medvedev said after triumphing in Los Cabos. “I’m really happy about it, but 4,000 points are coming and I want to get the most possible and that’s what I’m going to try to do.”

Alcaraz is currently at a career-high World No. 4 and while he can insert himself into the battle for No. 1, his sights will first be set on climbing to No. 3. If the 19-year-old reaches the final in Montreal, he will pass Nadal for that spot next Monday.