Daniil Medvedev ended Novak Djokovic바카라™s 20-match winning streak by beating the world바카라™s top-ranked player 6-4, 6-4 to reach the final at the Dubai Championships on Friday. (More Tennis News)
The third-seeded Medvedev will face defending champion Andrey Rublev in an all-Russian final that could have political overtones after Rublev reiterated his call for peace.
Daniil Medvedev ended Novak Djokovic바카라™s 20-match winning streak by beating the world바카라™s top-ranked player 6-4, 6-4 to reach the final at the Dubai Championships on Friday. (More Tennis News)
The third-seeded Medvedev will face defending champion Andrey Rublev in an all-Russian final that could have political overtones after Rublev reiterated his call for peace.
Medvedev picked up trophies in Rotterdam and Doha before coming to Dubai and beating Djokovic to extend his winning streak to 13 matches, the second longest of his career.
The former No. 1 player broke Djokovic twice in the first set and again to open the second, eventually closing it out on his first match point.
바카라śWhen you play against Novak you just have to play your best, kind of hope that he doesn바카라™t play his best,바카라ť Medvedev said. 바카라śI managed to play a higher level than him today. In the second set, I didn바카라™t face one break point, but there were so many 30-30, deuce (games). I managed to keep composed.바카라ť
Medvedev hadn바카라™t beaten Djokovic since the 2021 U.S. Open final for his first 바카라” and only 바카라” major title. That win denied Djokovic the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men바카라™s singles since 1969. Djokovic then won their next four meetings.
Djokovic was competing in his first event since winning the Australian Open for his record-equaling 22nd Grand Slam singles title. He hadn바카라™t lost since November when he dropped the Paris Masters final to Holger Rune.
RUBLEV SENDS MESSAGE
Earlier, Rublev advanced by beating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (9) in the other semifinal. The sixth-ranked Rublev saved a set point in the second-set tiebreaker.
Rublev has beaten Medvedev the last two times they squared off including at the ATP Finals last November.
That match is better remembered for Rublev바카라™s appeal for peace. He wrote 바카라śPeace, Peace, Peace, All we need,바카라ť on a TV camera lens. He made a similar appeal shortly after Russia바카라™s invasion of Ukraine just over a year ago.
On Friday, Rublev renewed that message.
바카라śIt바카라™s crazy that so many just normal citizens are suffering, dying,바카라ť he told reporters. 바카라śThe only thing I hope that soon there is going to be peace in every country. It doesn바카라™t matter where.바카라ť
Rublev paid tribute to the late Soviet rock star Viktor Tsoi, writing 바카라śTsoi is alive바카라ť on the court-side TV camera lens. Tsoi바카라™s lyrics 바카라śgave a lot of hope to the people,바카라ť during the 1980s, Rublev said.