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Francis Tiafoe is determined to outwork Daniil Medvedev if he wants to reach the Indian Wells final and continue his winning streak.
Medvedev cut his thumb in a seemingly unfortunate incident during his quarterfinal win over Alejandro Davydevich Fokinan.
He admits he needs medical advice on how to play with a stitched wound.
“I absolutely opened it. Medvedev, who needed treatment twice to stop the bleeding, said he was completely open.
“I’ve never cut myself with a knife like that because I wear so much. Now it is becoming black. I don’t know if that’s a good sign.
“The question will be whether I recorded the tape. [my fingers] For the match or not,” Medvedev later added. “But that’s not a big problem, because today I was able to play well with tape. A lot of players can play just fine with finger shaping, so I can do that too.
Before arriving in India, Medvedev was in good form, winning tour-level championships in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai. The world No. 6 will have 20 wins under his belt if he wins his fourth straight championship this weekend, tying his career-best winning streak.
He will focus on American Tiafoe as he looks to build on a 4-0 advantage in their head-to-head. However, the 25-year-old Tiafoe enters the match with a lot to prove after reaching his first ATP Masters 1000cm final. He tries to break Medvedev’s impenetrable defense with his powerful serve and equally devastating forehand.
Tiafoe set his tent to test Medvedev’s ability in every way.
Tiafoe said he was able to take the competition out of the hands of the players by defeating Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the quarter-finals.
“I’m crafty, I can move. I’ll stick to the points and not give out too many free points. I’ve grown tremendously as a player and it’s showing. I am very happy with my progress.
If Tiafoe wants to impress Medvedev, he needs to perform at his peak. Although Indian Wells’ slow playing conditions were not pleasant for the Russian fifth seed, he found a way to keep winning, hooking himself behind the start on his way to the last four, before turning the tables with his flat hand. Medvedev has repeatedly used his superior reach.
Tiafoe will try to use his court smarts to break Medvedev’s rhythm with his dynamic game. He tries to take advantage of Medvedev’s deep court position, charge the net and enter the court, using his powerful forehand to break various angles.
Tiafoe will try to become the second American in a row to reach the Indian Wells final.
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