DUBAI: Daniil Medvedev is a familiar figure chasing an unfamiliar milestone at this week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The former World No1 is making his sixth appearance in the emirate, has 22 titles to his name, and a career built on consistency at the highest level. Yet he has never defended a trophy.
That anomaly edged closer to ending on Thursday as the 30-year-old, attempting to repeat his 2023 title win, progressed to the semi-finals with remarkable ease. The No3 seed needed just 57 minutes to see off American Jenson Brooksby in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 in what will go down as one of the tournament’s most one-sided quarterfinals in recent memory.
Brooksby, ranked World No49, looked static at times as the former US Open champion overpowered him with raking forehands from the baseline and booming backhands that appeared laser-like in precision. It was only the second time the two have met, yet the first since Miami nearly four years ago when Medvedev also progressed in straight sets.
In Dubai, under a blazing afternoon sun on Centre Court, a pair of breaks saw the Russian close out the first set inside half-an-hour and after breaking again immediately in the second, he swept to victory without facing a single break point.
“I’m really happy with my level and feel I’m getting better and better every match,” said Medvedev, who will now compete in his 53rd hard-court semi-final – a record unmatched by any active player aside from another anomalous achiever, Novak Djokovic. “I feel like I play well in Dubai. I remember making semis one time here when, a little bit like Jenson today, I was not serving too well and had an issue with my shoulder. But I like to play here, I like the court, it plays pretty fast, which is not so common on the Tour right now, so it feels great and I’m looking forward to the semis.”
A second title of the season, to add to his Brisbane crown, is within reach, but more importantly perhaps is a second title in Dubai and the chance to finally break his run of never having successfully defended a trophy, despite the pile he has accumulated. Next in his path, however, is top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who was pushed to a second-set tiebreak before progressing past No. 8 seed Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 7-6 (2) with a pair of aces.
Hitting 16 aces in total, winning 83 per cent of points on his first serve, and facing – and saving – only two breakpoints throughout the match, the Canadian can now look forward to a third consecutive semi-final after reaching finals in Montpellier and Rotterdam already this month.
The 25-year-old stands just two wins away from avenging last year’s final defeat here to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“It was difficult with the shade and the wind at the start of the match, but I think the second set was a very high level; Jiri stayed very tough,” he said. “He served great and I had to dig deep in that tiebreak to stay sharp, stay precise, and then, you know, be clinical.”
Auger-Aliassime has faced Medvedev nine times and, despite holding a 2-7 record, he has not lost since the 2024 Australian Open. That said, having spent some of the off-season training together, he knows very well what he is likely to face on Friday night.
“He's gotten the better of me many times,” said Auger-Aliassime. “You know, he was No1 in the world, a Grand Slam champion, it's not by accident. He's one of the greatest players of our generation. At times he never misses, so I'm going to need to try to find a way to make him miss a few balls…
“We both live in Monaco and trained together there. I felt that he was playing really well in the off-season, and I told my coach he’s going to have a great year. Maybe he didn’t get the results exactly that he wanted, but he’s here and we’re both in the semi-finals, playing good tennis. He’s yet to drop a set this week too, so it’s going to be tough.”
