Daniil Medvedev showcased his resilience and championship pedigree by successfully defending his Almaty Open title, defeating Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-3 in a gripping final on Sunday.
The victory marked a significant milestone for the Russian as he became a defending champion at a tour-level event for the first time in his career.
After narrowly losing the opening set in a tense tie-break, Medvedev responded with trademark consistency and aggressive baseline play. The former World No. 1 dominated the second set before carrying the momentum into the decider to secure victory in one hour and 53 minutes.
The triumph delivered Medvedev’s 25th ATP Tour title and his fourth trophy of the 2026 season, adding Almaty to his earlier successes in Brisbane, Dubai and Chengdu. Only Jannik Sinner has collected more ATP titles this year, underlining Medvedev’s return to top form.
Medvedev’s path to the title featured impressive wins over Alexander Bublik, Terence Atmane, and Sho Shimabukuro. His latest success further boosts his standing in the ATP Live Race to Turin, bringing him closer to securing a place at the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals.
The Russian has also established himself as one of the most consistent performers on hard courts this season, leading the ATP Tour in hard-court victories in 2026.
Despite falling short in the final, Basilashvili enjoyed a memorable week in Kazakhstan. The Georgian qualifier reached his first ATP Tour final since 2022 and is projected to return to the ATP Top 100 rankings following his impressive run.
With momentum firmly on his side, Medvedev will now turn his attention to the ATP 500 event in Vienna, where he hopes to further strengthen his push toward year-end ATP Finals qualification
