(Dubai) Russian Daniil Medvedev snapped Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic’s 20-match winning streak and reached the Dubai Tennis Championships final with a 6-4, 6-4 victory, respectively, on Friday.
The third seed in the competition, Medvedev will find in the final his compatriot and defending champion Andrei Rublev, who took the measure of German Alexander Zverev for the first time in his career, earlier today.
The former world number one Medvedev debuted in Dubai after winning tournaments in Rotterdam and Doha. His victory over Djokovic earned him 13H game in a row, the second-longest winning streak of his career.
Medvedev had two breaks in the first set and one to start the second. He finished the duel on the first match point.
“When you face Novak, you have to play to the best of your abilities and hope Novak is not at his best,” Medvedev said.
“I was able to play at a higher level than today. In the second set, I didn’t have any break points, but there were a lot of points 30-30, 40-40. I managed to keep my cool,” Medvedev added.
Medvedev Djokovic has not been defeated since the 2021 US Open final, where he won his only Grand Slam title. This victory denied Djokovic a Grand Slam ranking, a feat no one had achieved in men’s singles since 1969. Djokovic won the ensuing four matches.
Photo: Kamran Jebrili, assistant journalist
Daniel Medvedev
However, Medvedev is 5-3 against Djokovic when the Serb sits at the top of the world rankings.
Previously, Rublev needed six match points to defeat Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (9). Ranked sixth, Rublev saved a set point in the second set tiebreak.
Photo: Kamran Jebrili, assistant journalist
Andrey Rublev
The 25-year-old tennis player has lost his previous five bouts against longtime friend Zverev. Rublev also participated in his first semi-final since the French Open last June.
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