Daniil Medvedev Defends Almaty Open Title, Beats Nikoloz Basilashvili in Three Sets to Close In on ATP Finals
Top seed Daniil Medvedev shook off a first-set stumble to beat Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-7(6) 6-1 6-3 in the Almaty Open final on Sunday, defending his title for the first successful title defence of his career and picking up his fourth ATP Tour trophy this year. The win boosts his hopes of securing a place at the ATP Finals, which he won in 2020.
Medvedev saved two set points to force a first-set tiebreak, but netted two attempted winners as Basilashvili, a qualifier ranked 128th, clinched the set with a powerful cross-court backhand. The world number five regained control in the second set, pressuring an error-prone Basilashvili, and in the third the Georgian, playing his first tour final since 2022, netted a backhand drop shot to bring up match point before shooting wide from the baseline.
"I always said, it's just a matter of luck, time, moment," Medvedev said. "I was feeling fresh, I was feeling physically good... I'm happy to finally do it." The ATP Finals take place in Turin from November 15-22; Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton have already qualified, while the injured Jannik Sinner will not feature. Medvedev is set to play the Vienna Open starting Monday and the Paris Masters from October 31.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Daniil Medvedev 在2023年美国网球公开赛上（Amaury Laporte 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons）
