Medvedev's Steady Climb in Almaty as Paolini Bets on Riyadh: Tennis Drama Ramps Up

Medvedev's march in Almaty

Daniil Medvedev continued to show strength in the Almaty Open (ATP 250) this week, pushing his bid in the race to the year-end championships.

On Friday, the Russian avoided early danger to defeat Fabian Marozsan 7-5, 6-2, reaching the semifinals for the third consecutive time in this event.

Medvedev battled through a tricky first set, saving three break points at 4-5, before settling into his rhythm and finishing with 27 winners against 12 unforced errors.

The second seed commented after the win that the first set was tough, but he was happy with how he played and with the way his serve performed, adding that he hoped to keep up the level.

His progress keeps his hopes alive in the race to Turin, as he climbs to 13th in the direct ranking, after starting October inside the top 20.

Having reached the semifinals in Beijing and Shanghai, Medvedev now faces a semifinal in Almaty against the winner of the qualifying clash between Australian James Duckworth.

Duckworth had already caused a shock by eliminating third seed Flavio Coppoli 6-3, 6-2, becoming the second player to reach the semifinals more than once in this event, after reaching the 2021 final.

Duckworth has climbed 30 spots to No. 108 in the live rankings.

In the top half, American sixth seed Alex Michelsen recovered from a late break in the decider to beat Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, keeping alive his bid for his first ATP title.

The 21-year-old, reaching his third semifinal of 2025, extended his win total to 25 for the season.

Michelsen will meet either German Jan-Lennard Struff or Frenchman Corentin Moutet in Saturday's semi.

Paolini's push toward Riyadh in Ningbo

In Ningbo, Italian Jasmine Paolini pushed hard to stay on track for a Riyadh berth, winning a marathon 3 hours 22 minutes quarterfinal against Swiss Belinda Bencic 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in the 500-point event.

Paolini is now one win away from securing direct entry to Riyadh and will face Elena Rybakina in the semifinals, after the Kazakh crushed Australian Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2, 6-0.

Qualifying scenarios

If Paolini wins, she will secure direct Riyadh qualification, while the final spot will be decided next week between Rybakina and Mira Andreeva.

For Belinda Bencic, the chance of a late replacement faded after her loss, and Ekaterina Alexandrova’s 6-3, 6-3 win over an American opponent confirmed her as Riyadh's official alternate.

Paolini, after her tough victory, reiterated that Riyadh is in her thoughts, but she tries to focus on tennis when she steps on court.

Head-to-head perspectives remain favorable for Paolini, who leads Rybakina 3-2, including their only completed hard-court meeting last year in Riyadh's final (7-6, 6-4).

Punchlines

In tennis terms, Medvedev’s serve is so sharp it could cut through a hard drive—hope the IT department brings tissues to the press room. And if Paolini makes Riyadh, she’ll need a passport, a visa, and a really good victory pose for the trophy photo. Now that’s what I call competitive travel planning with a side of aces.