In the Miami semi-final, Daniil Medvedev secured his spot in the ATP final for the fifth consecutive time by defeating Karen Khachanov in a hard-fought battle lasting two hours and 17 minutes. Medvedev dominated the opening set, but Khachanov fought back and took the second set, forcing the match into a decider. Medvedev overcame some difficulties on his second serve to emerge victorious and set up a title clash with either Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner.
Despite hitting six double faults, Medvedev fired 13 aces and hit 32 service winners to gain the upper hand. Although Khachanov won five more points overall, he failed to clinch the critical ones, including a break point in the first game. Medvedev defended four and grabbed two breaks at pivotal moments to seal the win. Both players hit around 30 winners and unforced errors from the field, with Khachanov having a slight edge in advanced rallies, but it wasn’t enough to secure the victory.
In the first set, Medvedev had a slow start but denied Khachanov’s break chance and held serve to avoid an early setback. After both players served well in the next six games, Medvedev broke Khachanov’s serve and opened up a 5-3 lead. However, Khachanov fought back to take the set into a tiebreak, where Medvedev eventually clinched it in 61 minutes. In the second set, Khachanov took an early lead with a break and controlled the pace of the game, winning the set 6-3.
The third set was a closely contested battle, with Khachanov failing to convert a crucial break point opportunity, and Medvedev taking the lead with a break in the fourth game. Medvedev then held serve and landed two aces to win the match and secure his spot in the final. The match was a thrilling display of skill and endurance, and Medvedev emerged as the deserving winner.