Daniil Medvedev is one match away from something he has never done: defend a title. The top seed reached the Almaty Open final on Saturday, 24 October, when Alexander Bublik retired with a knee injury after losing the first set 6-3, and he will face an unexpected opponent: qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili, who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3.
Bublik plays hurt for the home crowd
Bublik had injured his right knee at 5-4 in the third-set tie-break of his quarter-final win over Karen Khachanov, which he took 4-6 7-6(5) 7-6(5). About 20 minutes before the semi-final he was told not to play at all, he said, according to Tennis Majors, but he strapped the knee and went on court to thank the Almaty fans, expecting to last only two or three games. He stopped after the first set. Medvedev, who leads their head-to-head 7-1, said he had dealt with knee problems of his own this summer and hoped the injury was not serious.
Basilashvili's six-match run
The other semi-final produced the surprise of the week. Basilashvili, 34 and ranked 128th, came through qualifying and has now won six matches in a row, including a 6-3 6-1 win over Adrian Mannarino in the quarter-finals. Against Tsitsipas he was, by his own account, "very effective on my serve": he won the first set, losing the second in a tie-break after missing several break points, and closing out the third in 2 hours 16 minutes, Tennis TourTalk reported.
It is the Georgian's first tour-level final since 2022. "During my career, I have won ATP tournaments twice after starting in qualifying," he said. Tsitsipas, who had played Mikhail Kukushkin's farewell match earlier in the week, leaves Almaty with a semi-final.
What's at stake for Medvedev
Medvedev has won 24 titles but has "never defended one", Tennis Majors noted, and he has now won seven matches in a row in Almaty since lifting the trophy last year. This is his fifth final of 2026, after titles in Brisbane, Dubai and Hangzhou, and the 45th of his career; he also leads the tour with 36 wins on hard courts this season. The run strengthens his sixth place in the Race to Turin before Vienna and Paris. He beat Basilashvili 6-2 6-2 in their only previous meeting, in Vienna in 2022.
Follow the final on our tennis results page and see the Race to Turin guide for the fight for the last ATP Finals places.
Sources
This article was written by TiebreakNews from the reporting below, checked against official results and rankings.
- Tennis Majors — Medvedev one win from the first title defense of his career after Bublik retires in Almaty
- Tennis Majors — 'I was told not to play at all': Bublik reveals knee injury behind Almaty retirement
- Tennis TourTalk — Basilashvili stuns Tsitsipas to reach Almaty Open final