Cincinnati 2021: Daniil Medvedev vs Pablo Carreno Busta preview, head-to-head & prediction | Western & Southern Open

Match details

Fixture: (1) Daniil Medvedev vs (7) Pablo Carreno Busta

Date: 20 August 2021

Tournament: 2021 Western & Southern Open

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Cincinnati, Ohio

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $3,028,140

Match timing: Approx. 3 pm local time, 7 pm GMT, 12.30 am IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Voot Select

Daniil Medvedev vs Pablo Carreno Busta preview

Daniil Medvedev will be gunning for some good old-fashioned revenge when he faces Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Western & Southern Open on Friday.

Carreno Busta is the last player to have beaten Medvedev, having gotten the better of him in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics. That was a bitter pill to swallow for the Russian, who showed his frustration by throwing his racket into the stands after the match.

Medvedev has recovered well though, having won his fourth Masters 1000 title in Toronto last week. He was also in scintillating form during his Cincinnati third-round encounter against Grigor Dimitrov on Thursday.

The 25-year-old exchanged breaks with Dimitrov early on, but eventually established his dominance to run away with a 6-3, 6-3 victory. That extended his current winning streak to seven matches.

Pablo Carreno Busta hits a forehand in Cincinnati

Pablo Carreno Busta, meanwhile, has had a career-best season in 2021. The Spaniard has won titles in Marbella and Hamburg, while also clinching the bronze medal at the Olympic Games against all odds.

In addition to beating Medvedev at Tokyo, Carreno Busta also upset World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the playoff to earn his first Olympics medal.

Carreno Busta has carried his rich vein of form to Cincinnati. He has beaten Hubert Hurkacz and Dominik Koepfer in his first two matches, without dropping a single set.

Daniil Medvedev vs Pablo Carreno Busta head-to-head

Daniil Medvedev leads Pablo Carreno Busta by a margin of 3-2 in their head-to-head meetings. The pair have split their two matches this year; Medvedev won in three sets en route to the title in Mallorca, but lost to Carreno Busta in straight sets at Tokyo.

Daniil Medvedev vs Pablo Carreno Busta prediction

Daniil Medvedev has always boasted of brilliant defense, but in recent weeks he has been playing quite aggressively.

The Russian has been dominant with his serve and inside-out forehand lately. In both his matches in Cincinnati so far, he has been able to maintain the upper hand in the rallies with his powerful groundstrokes.

Pablo Carreno Busta has also turned over a new leaf lately, and has been playing with more attacking intent. The Spaniard hit the ball with pace and precision against Djokovic at the Olympics, and will be expected to play the same brand of tennis against Medvedev on Friday.

Carreno Busta's court positioning and footwork have been great assets for him this season. Even though the Spaniard is not the most powerful striker of the ball, his ability to punt accurate shots into the corners ensures he stays in charge of the proceedings.

Medvedev also possesses the ability to play consistently, but hits with much less spin than Carreno Busta. But the World No. 2 has shown a lot of resilience lately, and will be ready to fend off whatever his Spanish opponent throws at him on Friday.

Prediction: Daniil Medvedev to win in three sets.