Daniil Medvedev successfully defended his Almaty Open title on Sunday, defeating Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-3. This victory marks the 30-year-old’s fourth ATP Tour trophy of the season and represents the first successful title defense of his professional career. I’m happy to finally do it I guess,” the 30-year-old added with a smile.
Reflecting on the milestone, Medvedev noted that his breakthrough came down to a matter of timing and momentum. He expressed his satisfaction with his physical condition during the match, stating he felt fresh throughout the contest. “I was feeling fresh, I was feeling physically good.
The victory serves as a significant boost for the world number five as he chases an early qualification for the ATP Finals, which he won in 2020. With Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Ben Shelton already qualified, and Jannik Sinner sidelined by injury, Medvedev is working to secure his spot in the eight-man field scheduled for Turin from November 15-22.
The final against the 128th-ranked qualifier, Basilashvili, was hard-fought. After saving two set points, Medvedev narrowly dropped the opening set. However, he regained his composure in the second, forcing errors from the Georgian and dictating play through backhand rallies. Basilashvili, playing in his first tour final since 2022, struggled with nerves in the third set, ultimately handing the win to Medvedev following a baseline error.
Medvedev’s push for Turin continues with upcoming appearances at the Vienna Open starting Monday and the Paris Masters beginning October 31.
In women’s action, Elena Rybakina retained her Ningbo Open title with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 victory over Leylah Fernandez. This win marks her tour-leading fourth title of the year and her 15th overall, providing a crucial lift following recent setbacks in Beijing and Wuhan. TRADEMARK POWER: Top seed Rybakina made the breakthrough with her trademark power in the fifth game and then unleashed a searing crosscourt backhand winner to go 4-2 up, before the 27-year-old wrapped up the opening set in 38 minutes.
The world number one dominated the match using her trademark power, breaking Fernandez early in the first set. Despite a spirited start from the Canadian in the second, Rybakina absorbed the pressure to pull away, keeping her sights set on the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and her upcoming title defense at the Indian Wells season finale starting November 8. With the three-times Grand Slam champion breezing to victory from there, world number 30 Fernandez made a bright start to the next set but Rybakina absorbed the pressure and raised her level to force an error and break for 2-1.
Rybakina highlighted the significance of the victory in Ningbo, describing the location as a special place for her career. The win further solidifies her status following a stellar season that included titles at the Australian Open and US Open. Further burnishing a spectacular season in which she won the Australian Open title before adding the US Open crown to reach the summit, the victory in Ningbo also helped the Kazakh to take a big step towards securing the year-end number one ranking.
