A friend gets to know each other on the court: Medvedev and Rublev will play the Russian final in Hangzhou

Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev will play the seventh Russian ATP finals in history. In the Hangzhou semifinals, Rublev beat Frenchman Kyrian Jacques relatively easily, and Medvedev won a difficult match against another of our compatriots, Roman Safiullin. The previous Russian title match was also between Daniil and Andrey in Dubai in 2023. In personal meetings, the score is 7:2 in favor of the former world number one.

From the worst to the best

The Hangzhou tournament has been held since 2024. The first champion was Croatian Marin Cilic. Last year, Alexander Bublik celebrated the victory, beating Valentin Royer in the final. In 2026, the representative of Kazakhstan decided to skip the tournament and dropped out of the top 20. Interestingly, Rublev was the first seed a year ago, but he was eliminated at the start by the same Royer.

This time, Andrey received the second number of seeding, and in the first round he beat Rinki Hijikata quite easily. Next, the Russian played an incredible match with Yugo Gaston. In the first set, it came to a tiebreak, in which Rublev led 6-1, but then lost seven draws in a row and twice tried to tear his T-shirt. In the second game, with the score 5-5, Andrey hit the billboard and broke his left arm. He needed a medical break because of the bleeding.

Despite such circumstances, the Russian was able to win the second set in a tie-break and take the decisive game.

— I don't know what to say. I'm just glad that I was able to win the South after a series of difficult moments and missed chances in the first and second sets," Rublev admitted.

Kyrian Jacques was waiting for him in the semifinals. In Hangzhou, the Frenchman beat Alexander Vukic, then defeated third-seeded Thomas Martin Etcheverry, and in the quarterfinals won a long match against Fabian Marojan. Due to reaching the semifinals, Kyrian will make his debut in the top 100 (currently 84th in the Live ranking).

With Rublev, Jacques played an almost perfect first set. He got involved in double-edged tennis and was in no way inferior to the owner of 18 ATP titles. For the first time, Kyrian was pinched at the score of 5:4. He made a double mistake and Andrey earned two break points. However, the Frenchman then confidently won four draws in a row and equalized the score (5-5). As a result, it came to a tie-break, which the Russian won with a score of 7:0. Nothing foreshadowed such a development of events, but Rublev played a perfect, perhaps the best mini-game of his career. Two straight serves, a few bright winners.

Before the second game, Jacques took a medical break, complaining of shoulder problems. After a pause, he returned to the court as a different player. Rublev confidently took one game after another, and his opponent miraculously escaped from the "steering wheel". Andrey reached the third final of the season (he lost to Artur Fis in Barcelona, and Luciano Darderi won in Bostad) and won the 400th round. Of the current players, only eight have the best record: Novak Djokovic, Marin Cilic, Stan Wawrinka, Gael Monfils, Alexander Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov, Kei Nishikori and Daniil Medvedvev. Andrey will play a decisive match with the latter in Hangzhou.

Court blanche: Andreeva and Medvedev got the first seeding numbers in Asia

Russian tennis players will compete for titles at tournaments in Singapore and Hangzhou

Roman's Breakthrough

In China, Medvedev beat Royet and Coleman Wong. Roman Safiullin also won three matches in this part of the grid, including stopping fourth seed Kanten Alice. He was a great danger to Medvedev, and the first set proved it. If Rublev and Jacques finished the games quickly on their serves, then in the reporting match the opponents spent 30 minutes on five opening games.

There was a tight battle between Medvedev and Safiullin, and it seemed that everything was heading towards a tie-break. However, in game 12, Roman suddenly stalled. He made two double mistakes and gave his opponent the first game. But he didn't fall apart and started the second set with a break. Roman confirmed his advantage (2-0), but he couldn't hold it for long.

Daniil made a reverse break after Safiullin's mistake at the net. In the eighth game, Roman was again unable to cope with the pressure on his serve, but heroically won back three break points (4-4). This did not bring a turning point to the game. Medvedev has already felt his game and closed the game at the reception in the tenth game. Despite the defeat, Safiulin can bring this tournament to his credit. He added 18 positions in the ranking and got the right to play at the "five hundred" in Beijing (he will face Flavio Cobolli in the 1/16 finals).

— Roman is a great player. I am glad that he has recovered from his injury and is playing so well now. It was very difficult for me, so I am very happy with my victory in the semifinals," Medvedev said.

Medvedev also spoke about the upcoming final with his close friend. Rublev is the godfather of Daniil's daughter Alice.

— This will be our second final with Andrey at the ATP level. We've done something on the ATP tour, so whoever plays their best tennis will win the title. Come back tomorrow, it will be fun," Daniel addressed the fans.

On the eve of the decisive match, the Russians' chances were assessed by former tennis player Andrei Olkhovsky.

""It's always nice when two tennis players from Russia meet in the finals of a tournament," Andrey Olkhovsky, a two—time winner of "Grand Slam" tournaments in mixed doubles, told Izvestia. — The guys deserved to reach the decisive match. Both had a number of good meetings, although there were also enough difficulties. Congratulations to them on reaching the finals. There is no favorite for me in this meeting. I will be rooting for both Andrey and Daniel.

The final in Hangzhou will begin at 14:30 Moscow time.

All Russian ATP Finals

The year is 1994. Adelaide
Evgeny Kafelnikov — Alexander Volkov — 6:4, 6:3

The year is 2001. Tashkent
Marat Safin — Evgeny Kafelnikov — 6:2, 6:2

The year is 2004. Beijing
Marat Safin — Mikhail Yuzhny — 7:6, 7:5

The year is 2006. Moscow
Nikolay Davydenko — Marat Safin — 6:4, 5:7, 6:4

The year is 2008. Moscow
Igor Kunitsyn — Marat Safin — 7:6: 6:7, 6:3

The year 2023. Dubai
Daniil Medvedev — Andrey Rublev — 6:2, 6:2

The year is 2026. Changzhou
Daniil Medvedev — Andrey Rublev