ALMATY, OCT 25 (IANS): World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev successfully defended his Almaty Open title on Sunday, defeating Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the ATP 250 tournament. The Russian claimed his fourth title of the year and 25th tour-level trophy after a comeback victory lasting one hour and 53 minutes.
Medvedev, the top seed, became the first player in his career to successfully defend a tour-level title. His 2025? No, his latest victory adds an indoor hard-court title to his collection this season, following triumphs on outdoor hard courts in Brisbane, Dubai and Chengdu.
Basilashvili, a five-time ATP Tour champion, took the opening set after Medvedev failed to convert a set point in the tiebreak. However, the former World No. 1 responded strongly in the second set, breaking his opponent twice before forcing a decider. Medvedev gained an early break in the third set before breaking Basilashvili again in the ninth game to seal the championship.
The victory also strengthened Medvedev’s chances of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin. He moved to fifth in the live race with 2,670 points, holding a 790-point advantage over 10th-placed Alex de Minaur, the first player outside the qualification places.
Bhambri-Seggerman clinch doubles title
Meanwhile, India’s Yuki Bhambri and American partner Ryan Seggerman captured the men’s doubles title, defeating top seeds Lucas Miedler and Neil Oberleitner of Austria 7-6(3), 6-7(1), [10-2] in a thrilling final at Almaty Arena. The -American pair won the opening-set tiebreak 7-3 before the Austrian duo fought back to level the contest by dominating the second-set tiebreak 7-1. Bhambri and Seggerman then produced a commanding performance in the deciding match tiebreak, winning 10-2 to secure the title in one hour and 26 minutes.
The champions recorded six aces and just one double fault during the match. The triumph marked Bhambri’s fifth ATP Tour doubles title and added to his steady progress on the international circuit. In March, he reached his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semifinal at Indian Wells. He also achieved a career-high world ranking of No. 20 in February, becoming the first Indian men’s doubles player to break into the top 20 since Rohan Bopanna.
Bhambri had previously won his maiden ATP 500 title at the Dubai Tennis Championships in March 2025, partnering Australia’s Alexei Popyrin.