Festive court: how Medvedev defeated Rublev in the Russian final

Daniil Medvedev beat Andrey Rublev in the final of the Hangzhou tournament and won the 24th title of his career. The Russian has already won three trophies this season, having previously won in Brisbane and Dubai. Daniil is also the most experienced winner of the ATP tournament this season. And that's only at the age of 30, with Novak Djokovic actively playing.

How Medvedev beat Rublev

The leaders of our tennis have already played each other in the finals in 2023 in Dubai. Rublev then played five matchballs against Alejandro Davidovich-Fokin in the second round, and defeated Alexander Zverev in the semifinals for the first time in his career. Before coming to the UAE, Daniil won two tournaments in a row — in Rotterdam and Doha, being in great shape. On the way to the final, he beat Novak Djokovic, who was then the first racket of the world, and in the decisive match he left no chance for his compatriot. Rublev took only four games, and the match itself will last 70 minutes. Medvedev extended his streak to 14 consecutive wins, and in total he won 25 out of 26 matches during that period.

Daniil can only dream of such results now, although he is spending this year much stronger than the previous one. In Hangzhou, Medvedev reached the fourth final in nine months. On the way to the title match, he beat Valentin Royer, Coleman Wong and Roman Safiullin. Rublev reached the third final in 2026, defeating Rinki Hijikatu, Yugo Gaston and Kyrian Jacques.

In personal meetings, Medvedev led with a score of 7-2, and was also ahead of his friend in the total number of titles: 23-18. Statistics, coupled with easier passing on the grid, made Daniil the undisputed favorite among the bookmakers. The first set confirmed these positions. Daniel was greatly helped by the pitch. In the opening three games, he made eight aces (12 in total per game). At the reception, he tried to drag his opponent into long draws and was active from the forehand. This led to three break points at the beginning of the game, but Rublev was able to win them back. Towards the end of the game, Andrey seemed to have adapted to Daniel's game. He increased the tempo, tried to sharpen it at every opportunity, and twice managed to get his serve under zero.

The more surprising was the fact that Rublev was unable to secure a tie-break. In the 11th game, he made two unforced errors, which led to two more break points for Daniel. This time, Medvedev realized his chances and then served for the set, ending the game with another ace. The ending demoralized Andrey.

Medvedev quite casually made a break in the opening game and consolidated his advantage (2:0). Daniel was inimitable on his serve, but he still played one bad game. With the score 3-2, Rublev scored two break points, but the first serve again came to the rescue of his opponent. Medvedev was able to maintain a one-break advantage and went out to serve for the match 10 minutes later. Daniel started this game with two scoreless serves, but then made a double mistake. In the fourth draw, a lengthy 24-punch exchange ensued, which ended in a mistake by Medvedev (30:30). It seemed that this draw could be a turning point, but the first seed did not seem to notice this, easily winning the next two goals.

Daniel finished the match with 23 aces. The last time he pitched so many shutouts was in 2022, when he was in prime time and reached the top of the rankings. Therefore, there is a good chance that Medvedev will hold a strong Asian series in 2026.

"This tournament turned out great for me. I played four good matches, I served great, I felt like I could play from a position of strength. That's why I'm very happy that I managed to take the title. Was I nervous that I had to play against a compatriot in the decisive match? No. We know each other very well, we understand who will play what kind of tennis. Regardless of the stage. The final match was not easy. Andrey gave me a fight, but I was able to win the key draws," Medvedev said in an on—court interview.

Hangzhou to Beijing

Hangzhou adds to Daniil's collection of favorite locations: Medvedev won 23 of his 24 titles in different cities, while he won twice in Dubai: in 2023 and 2026. After the award ceremony, the rivals said warm words to each other.

"First of all, I want to congratulate Daniel," Rublev began his speech. — You were the best in this tournament. I had a very strong final. There are no words to say what I think about this (laughs). We have a lot of memories together, we always support each other, and it's valuable to me. I wish you good luck until the end of this season. Thanks to my team. I played much better in Hangzhou this time than I did last year. Thanks to the fans who have been very supportive of me in all the matches here. I hope to play in Hangzhou again.

Thanks to the title in China, Medvedev has come close to fifth place in the ATP rankings (Felix Auger-Alliassim is only 30 points ahead of him). Daniil has also consolidated his position in eighth place in the ATP championship race and is now just over 500 points ahead of Rafael Hodor.

Now the leaders of our tennis are moving to Beijing, where there will be different conditions and a much stronger composition of participants. In the first round, Medvedev will play Pablo Carreno Busta, Rublev will play Tallon Grixpor.