Medvedev, conqueror of Duckworth, will play his 2nd final in 2025

In the first semifinal of the ATP 250 tournament in Almaty, Daniil Medvedev had to work hard to end James Duckworth's run in Kazakhstan.

On to the semifinals of the Almaty tournament. A recent semifinalist in Beijing and Shanghai, Daniil Medvedev was the clear favorite in his match against James Duckworth. Coming from the qualifying rounds, the Australian, ranked 138th in the world at the start of the tournament, eliminated Ugo Blanchet, the defending finalist Gabriel Diallo, and Flavio Cobolli to reach the final four.

The two men had only faced each other once before today, in the third round of the 2021 Toronto Masters 1000. Both players were solid at the start of the match. No breaks were recorded in the first set, and after a tight tie-break, it was ultimately the 33-year-old Duckworth who had the final say, 10 points to 8.

This did not shake Medvedev, who had the necessary reaction. The world No. 14 saved the only break point he conceded (in the first set) and then took control of the match.

With 37 winners and 14 unforced errors, the Russian secured his place in the final (6-7, 6-3, 6-2 in 2 hours and 11 minutes). This is the second time Medvedev has reached a final this season after Halle, where he lost to Alexander Bublik. The Russian becomes the first player born in the 1990s to reach 40 finals on the ATP Tour.

In his bid to win his first title since 2023, he will have to overcome the winner of the other semifinal between Corentin Moutet and Alex Michelsen. As for Duckworth, he finds himself close to returning to the top 100 (he is provisionally ranked 108th).