Medvedev rallies past Basilashvili in Almaty: First career title defense
Top seed drops opening tiebreak before dominating the final two sets. Medvedev lifts his 25th ATP trophy.
Milestone victory in Kazakhstan
Top seed Daniil Medvedev carved out a special personal milestone on Sunday, 25 October, mounting a resilient comeback to defeat Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the Almaty Open. The triumph delivered Medvedev his 25th career ATP Tour singles title and his fourth trophy of the 2026 season. More significantly, it marked the first time in his professional career that the former world No. 1 has successfully defended a tour-level title, ending a curious streak across his previous 24 tournament triumphs.
Basilashvili, who entered the week ranked outside the top 150 before knocking out Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals, came out swinging with blistering pace. The 34-year-old Georgian held his nerve in a tight opening-set tiebreak, converting his second set point to take the opener 8-6 after 54 minutes of intense baseline hitting.
Medvedev shifts gears to seal crown
Medvedev wasted no time responding at the start of the second set. Stepping closer to the baseline and finding acute angles with his backhand, the top seed broke Basilashvili in the second game and conceded just one game on his way to leveling the match. In the deciding set, Medvedev broke in the third game and never faced a break point on his own serve, sealing the championship in one hour and 53 minutes.
The victory consolidates Medvedev’s qualification position for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin. For Basilashvili, a memorable run through qualifying and five main-draw battles will elevate him back toward the top 100 as the indoor swing shifts to Vienna and Basel.
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