World No.5 Daniil Medvedev comes back after a set down to defeat Fabio Fognini in a thrilling three-setter 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 at the ATP Cup 2020 on Friday. The victory helps Russia wins its crucial tie against Italy in the Group D round-robin match in Perth.

Russia’s captain Marat Safin taunted Fabio Fognini before the start of the second singles rubber between the Russia vs Italy tie as he wished him ‘bad luck’ in a funny banter.

Fabio Fognini dispatched Daniil Medvedev in set one

It was hard to predict which way the match between Medvedev and Fognini will go. However, it was all going the Italian’s way as he broke twice to get a 5-0 lead in the opening set.

During the changeover at 0-5, Daniil Medvedev was staring at the Russian box while Marat Safin got a cup of coffee with extra sugar. Safin was also seen nodding encouragingly after Medvedev angrily hit the ball out of the court.

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The 32-year-old closed the opening set 6-1 in just 30 minutes as the Russian was already looking tired. The World No.12 saved 3 breakpoints in the set while his opponent could not save a single breakpoint.

Turnaround by Medvedev in the second set

Daniil Medvedev stepped up in the second set as he broke Fognini for the first time in the 4th game to get a 3-1 lead. The 23-year-old broke again in the sixth game before serving the set at 6-1 in what was a reduplication of the first set.

Medvedev back on track

Fabio Fognini saved three break points in his opening service game. However, Medvedev broke his serve at love in the third game. Fognini saved three more breakpoints to stay alive in the match and held his serve at 2-3.

The US Open finalist was denied another four breakpoint opportunities as the Italian held another crucial game. Fognini also dropped his racquet when he gifted a point to his opponent. He also received a code violation for hitting the ball into the crowd.

It was Daniil Medvedev who prevailed in 1 hour and 49 minutes after breaking Fognini and closing the set 6-3.

Earlier, Karen Khachanov earned the 1-0 lead for Russia against Italy as he defeated Stefano Travaglia 7-5, 6-3 in their first singles rubber in Perth.