Zverev defeats Medvedev for second ATP Finals crown

Alexander Zverev practices his serve during last month's
BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Alexander Zverev has yet to win a Grand Slam title.

   But the 24-year-old German came away with the next-best individual prizes this year.

   Zverev, seeded third, added the Nitto ATP Finals title to his Olympic singles gold medal with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Daniil Medvedev, seeded second, in a matchup of mobile 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) giants today in Turin, Italy.

   Zverev, the 2018 champion who ousted top-seeded Novak Djokovic on Saturday, snapped a five-match losing streak to the 25-year-old Russian and evened the head-to-head series at 6-6.

   Medvedev must settle for winning his first major title in the U.S. Open this year. With his surprising 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory in the final, he prevented Djokovic from becoming the first man to sweep the four major titles in a calendar year since Rod Laver in 1969.

   Earlier today, Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut earned their second ATP Finals doubles title in three years. The third seeds beat second-seeded Rajeev Ram of Carmel, Ind., and Joe Salisbury of Great Britain 6-4, 7-6 (0).

   Ram won the doubles title in San Jose, Calif., on the ATP Tour in 2011 with former Stanford star Scott Lipsky, who retired in 2018. Salisbury took the doubles crown in the 2017 Stockton (Calif.) Challenger with Brydan Klein.