Medvedev stays on course in Beijing with Cobolli win

Could Beijing be where Daniil Medvedev returns to the winner’s circle on the ATP Tour?

The No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings continued his China Open campaign in confident fashion on Monday afternoon, when he downed Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 6-4 at the ATP 500. Medvedev, who is chasing his first ATP Tour trophy since his Rome triumph in May 2023, delivered a typically resilient display to reach his sixth tour-level semi-final of the season.

Although Medvedev clinched victory with a straightforward scoreline, the 28-year-old faced 11 break points in his 88-minute quarter-final victory in the Chinese capital. The third seed saved all but one, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and responded well after Cobolli reclaimed an early break in the second set en route to sealing his win.

"Today was not an easy match, but I'm happy that I fought until the end," said Medvedev in his post-match press conference. "Actually some good points here and there. One amazing shot, probably one of the best shots of my life I think, at 0/30 in the last game. Super lucky, but you fight until the end, and sometimes you get these lucky shots."

? SEMI-FINALS ?@DaniilMedwed defeats Cobolli 6-2 6-4 to reach the final four for the sixth time this season.@ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/3Objutji9H

With his victory, Medvedev improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Cobolli after he also defeated the Italian at the US Open earlier this month. He also further boosted his Nitto ATP Finals qualification chances: Medvedev is fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 730 points clear of fifth-placed Taylor Fritz.

His next test in Beijing, where he reached the championship match in 2023 before falling to Jannik Sinner, is a blockbuster semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz after the Spaniard overcame Karen Khachanov 7-5, 6-2. Medvedev trails Alcaraz 2-5 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

"Tomorrow, a tough test against Carlos," said Medvedev. "I think for me, and I think I'm not the only one to say it... When he's in the zone, he's probably the best player in the world. Tough to play him. I feel like now he's in the zone. So it great test for me.

"I'm going to see how I go out there tomorrow, what tactic, what do I believe in, and I'm going to go for it."

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