When Diego Schwartzman took court on Friday at the Paris Masters, the diminutive Argentine was gunning for a couple of firsts: a place in the ATP finals and a win over Daniil Medvedev.
But Schwartzman, needing just one win to seal his place in the ATP Finals, fell short. He went down 3-6, 1-6 to Medvedev and is now 0-4 in their head-to-head record.
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The 28-year-old’s fate now rests in the hands of Pablo Carreno Busta, who is the only other player in the reckoning to take that last remaining spot for the ATP Finals. Schwartzman currently has 3445 points this season, while Carreno Busta is at 2445.
US Open semi-finalist Carreno Busta will take on Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals later on Friday. The Spaniard has to go all the way and win the Paris Masters for a chance to beat Schwartzman in the Race to London.
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The season-ending, eight-man ATP Finals will be held at London’s O2 Arena from November 15 to 22.
Going into the match, Schwartzman had never beaten the 6’6 in three of their previous clashes, the last of which was an ill-tempered clash during the ATP Cup in January 2020.
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And the 24-year-old Russian continued his dominance, firing eight aces and winning 93% of the points on his first serve. Medvedev dropped only five points on his serve, won four of six break points and didn’t concede any.
Though it just wasn’t Schwartzman’s day, the 5’7 Argentine has taken giant strides this season. The 28-year-old broke into the top-10 for the very first time this season and also reached his first semi-final in a major when he made the final four at Roland Garros.
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