Medvedev hoping to snap agonising title drought

Daniil Medvedev moved to within one win of ending a title drought which stretches back nearly two and a half years as he booked the final of the ATP event in Kazakhstan.

The former world No. 1 ranked  14th, defeated Australian James Duckworth 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-2 to reach the final against Corentin Moutet, a 7-5, 6-4 winner over Ben Shelton.

Medvedev lifted his last title in May, 2023 in Rome and has gone dry since; he failed to fire in six finals since, including the US Open in 0223 and Australian Open in 2024

He lost the Halle final last June to Kazakh Alexander Bublik.

Medvedev advanced in a semi-final in just under two and a quarter hours against qualifier Duckworth. 

The second-seeded Medvedev is still in the chase for a spot in the eight-man season finals next month in Turin after reaching the final four in Beijing and Shanghai .

“I think the level was incredible today, from both me and my opponent,”  Medvedev said. “In the tie-break, I could have played better, but it happens

“Throughout the match, there were some amazing points from both of us, so I’m really happy to be able to win this match.”

Medvedev hammered 15 aces in victory  to reach his 40th ATP final, second-placed in that category behind the 143 of Novak Djokovic.