Medvedev finds his spark in Almaty, Turin trail tightens…
Daniil Medvedev is refusing to fade from the Nitto ATP Finals conversation, extending his late-season surge with another strong run at the Almaty Open this week.
The former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings averted some early danger on Friday to overcome Fabian Marozsan 7-5, 6-2 and advance to his third consecutive ATP Tour semi-final. Medvedev was forced to save three set points on serve at 4-5 in the first set, but quickly found his range, hitting 27 winners to just 12 unforced errors in a classy display.
“The first set was really tough, I had to save three set points,” said Medvedev. “But I’m really happy with the way I played, especially after this moment, and I’m happy I managed to win. I served really well today, and I managed to step up my game when I needed to, so I hope I can continue playing this way.”
Medvedev, the 2020 champion at the season finale, is up two spots to 13th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. Having begun October in 20th, he has strengthened his hopes of securing a seventh straight showing at the Nitto ATP Finals.
After semi-final runs in Beijing and Shanghai, Medvedev awaits a last-four meeting with qualifier James Duckworth in Almaty. The Australian earlier upset third seed Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-2 to become the second man to reach multiple semi-finals at this event, having advanced to the final in 2021.
Back in August, following a disappointing season by his lofty standards, Medvedev admitted he wasn’t too concerned about his slim chances to qualify for Turin. However, under new coaches Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, the 29-year-old is rediscovering his rhythm and trademark consistency.
Duckworth, meanwhile, continues to thrive at the Kazakhstani ATP 250 event and is up 30 spots to No. 108 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Cobolli was unable to deal with the Australian’s relentless movement and pinpoint accuracy during their 91-minute clash, in which he saved all five break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
In the top half of the draw, sixth seed Alex Michelsen rallied from a break deficit in the deciding set to defeat Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 and keep alive his hopes of winning a maiden ATP Tour title.
By reaching his third tour-level semi-final of 2025, the 21-year-old American earned a 25th victory for the second straight season. He awaits Jan-Lennard Struff or Corentin Moutet in Saturday’s clash.
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