Daniil Medvedev played the Austrian defense

The first semi-finalist of the Erste Bank Open, a 500-category Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tournament with a prize fund of €2.4 million, was Russian Daniil Medvedev, who defeated his compatriot Karen Khachanov in three games. Having won his 63rd match this season and caught up with the leader in this indicator, Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, the third world ranking continues to defend his last year’s title – which can help him compete for a higher place in the ATP classification at the end of the season.

The fundamentality with which Daniil Medvedev settled into third place in the world rankings does not seem to imply any changes in his position there until next year. In the classification, which takes into account the results shown starting in January, before the start of the Vienna Erste Bank Open, the Russian had 6935 points, 1510 points behind world number two Carlos Alcaraz and 2010 behind leader Novak Djokovic. That is, theoretically it is still possible to get them, but practically it is very difficult. That requires a maximum performance this week in Vienna, where the championship is worth 500 points, and then a significant lead over the Spaniard and the Serbian at the Rolex Paris Masters, which starts on Monday in the French capital, and at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, the final two competitions where You can earn a total of 2500 points.

The scenario in which Medvedev falls out of the top three within the next month is even less likely. On Monday he was ahead of Jannik Sinner by 1990 points, and it is difficult to imagine that the 22-year-old Italian, who will make his debut at the final tournament, will close such a gap. However, formally, for Medvedev, as well as for Sinner, not all is lost. The same Djokovic, after his triumph at the US Open, did not play a single match and may not be in optimal shape for the final starts. Alcaraz, having noted his recent lackluster performances in Beijing and Shanghai, abandoned the idea of ​​​​playing this week at the 500 in Basel, citing a foot injury. Therefore, it is possible that the end of the year will still bring surprises.

In any case, Medvedev is still quite confident in solving his current task, defending his title in Vienna, conquered twelve months ago. Following the talented young Frenchman Arthur Fiss, who in the future is tipped for a place at least in the top ten of the world rankings, and the most experienced Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, the Russian beat Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals.

There were many sharp jokes in this meeting, to which the 15,000-strong Wiener Stadthalle stands reacted keenly, equally actively supporting both Russians.

Having successfully played the middle of the second game, Khachanov leveled the situation in the match, but in the second game of the third set Medvedev made a decisive break and did not miss his chance. As a result – 6:3, 3:6, 6:3 in 2 hours 15 minutes, and in a series of personal meetings Medvedev’s advantage had already become quite significant – 5:1. Before the New Year, Khachanov, who ranks 16th in the rankings, remains to take part in two French tournaments. In addition to Paris, he showed up in Metz, where the lineup will not be the most stellar and they will really compete for victory, and therefore for the closest place to the top ten.

Medvedev, who won his 63rd match this season and caught up with Alcaraz, the leader in this indicator, awaits the semi-final against another opponent he is very familiar with – the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, who, in turn, beat the Croatian Borna Goyo – 7:6 (7 :4), 7:5. Tsitsipas is very close to getting to Turin, but has not yet guaranteed himself a place in the top eight, and in a series of personal meetings with Medvedev he is inferior – 4:8.

Evgeniy Fedyakov