Daniil Medvedev won the Almaty Open for the second year running on Sunday, 25 October, coming from a set down to beat qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-7(6) 6-1 6-3. It is the first time in his career that the Russian has defended a title, and the win lifts him into fifth place in the race for the ATP Finals.
From a lost tie-break to a one-sided second set
Basilashvili, ranked 128th and playing his first tour-level final since May 2021, took the opening set in a tie-break. Medvedev then dropped only four games in the next two sets. Ubitennis counted 26 winners and 20 unforced errors from Medvedev, who won 82% of his first-serve points, against 40 unforced errors from the Georgian.
Medvedev said in his on-court interview that he had not panicked after the first set. "I got a bit unlucky" on a 30-40 point and in the tie-break, he said, and he expected more chances to come, according to Tennishead.
A first title defence at last
Medvedev had reached three earlier finals as defending champion and lost all of them, Tennis Majors noted, so Almaty is the first title he has ever kept. "I always said it's just a matter of time, luck, moment," he said. He is also the first player to win the Almaty Open twice in a row.
The title is his fourth of 2026 after Brisbane, Dubai and Hangzhou, and the 25th of his career. He has won 38 matches on hard courts this season, more than any other player, and joins Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton as the only men with four or more titles this year. He also reached the final at Indian Wells. Medvedev said he came back to Almaty, an ATP 250, because "I love it here", even though it makes the trip to Vienna tight.
What it means for Turin
Only three players have confirmed their places in Turin so far: Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton. Jannik Sinner, second in the Race, is not playing because of his knee injury, so the ninth-placed player is in line for the last place. With his Almaty points, Medvedev passes Flavio Cobolli, who lost in the Lyon semi-finals, and moves up to fifth, according to Tennishead and Tennis Majors.
Behind him the race is close: Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jodar hold the other places, with Alex de Minaur, Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz still in contention. Medvedev won the ATP Finals in 2020 and missed the event last year for the first time in six seasons.
What comes next
Medvedev goes straight to the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, where his first opponent is Spain's Daniel Merida, according to Ubitennis. The Vienna draw includes Zverev, Alcaraz, Cobolli and Alex de Minaur. Up-to-date positions are on our ATP rankings page.
Sources
This article was written by TiebreakNews from the reporting below, checked against official results and rankings.
- Tennis Majors — At the fourth attempt, Medvedev defends a title for the first time, coming from a set down to beat Basilashvili in Almaty
- Tennishead — How the race to the ATP Finals now looks after Daniil Medvedev wins the Almaty Open
- Ubitennis — Daniil Medvedev Wins Almaty Open To Achieve Career First As He Closes In On ATP Finals Spot