Associated Press12:54 PM ET2 Minute Read
Daniil Medvedev ended Novak Djokovic’s 20-game winning streak by defeating the world’s top player 6-4, 6-4 on Friday to reach the final at the Dubai Championships.
Third-placed Medvedev meets defending champion Andrey Rublev in an all-Russian final that could have political overtones after Rublev repeated his call for peace.
A former world no.
Djokovic competed in his first event since winning the Australian Open for his record-breaking 22nd Grand Slam singles title. He hadn’t lost since November, when he lost the Paris Masters final to Holger Rune.
On Friday, Medvedev Djokovic broke twice in the first set and again to open the second, eventually ending it with his first match point.
“When you play against Novak, you just have to do your best, kind of hope he doesn’t do his best,” Medvedev said. “I managed to play at a higher level than him today. I didn’t have a break point in the second set, but there were so many 30-30s, Deuce [games]. I managed to stay calm.”
Medvedev had not beaten Djokovic since the 2021 US Open final, when he claimed his first and only major title to date. This victory denied Djokovic the first Grand Slam in men’s singles since 1969.
Djokovic then won their next four meetings.
But Medvedev improved to 5-3 against Djokovic when the Serbian player is first.
Earlier, Rublev advanced by defeating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (9) in the other semifinal. Rublev needed six match points to finally knock out Zverev for his first tour-level win against the German player.
Rublev had lost all five previous matches to his longtime friend, who reached his first semifinal since the French Open in June.
Sixth-placed Rublev saved a set point in the tie-break of the second set.
“Today when I walked onto the pitch I thought I have nothing to lose. He always beat me so why do I have to be tight,” Rublev said.
Last year Rublev beat Jiri Vesely for the title.
Rublev has beaten Medvedev in the last two meetings, including at the ATP Finals in November. This match is better remembered for Rublev’s appeal for peace. He wrote “Peace, peace, peace, all we need” on the lens of a television camera. He made a similar appeal shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine a little over a year ago.
On Friday, Rublev renewed this message.
“It’s crazy that so many ordinary people are suffering and dying,” he told reporters. “I only hope that soon there will be peace in all countries. No matter where.”
Paying tribute to the late Soviet rock star Viktor Tsoi, Rublev wrote “Tsoi is alive” on the pitchside TV camera lens. Tsoi’s lyrics “gave a lot of hope to people in the 1980s,” Rublev said.