Daniil Medvedev maintained his strong record against Andrey Rublev by defeating his fellow Russian in straight sets to claim the Hangzhou Open title.
Prior to this ATP 250 final showdown on Tuesday, Medvedev had a 7-2 head-to-head against his fellow Russian, with the 30-year-old enjoying a three-match win streak.
In their first encounter for nearly three years, the former US Open champion grabbed a late break in the first set and took the opener 7-5.
The 6ft 6in player never looked back, broke Rublev’s serve in the first half of the second set and went on to claim a 7-5, 6-4 victory in just over 90 minutes. This was Medvedev’s third ATP Tour title of the year, after triumphing in Brisbane and Dubai in January and February, respectively.
“There is always a tiny bit more on the line,” Medvedev said when asked about playing Rublev. “I think I handled it well. I played good in the important moments, and I’m really happy with my level.”
Both Russians are set to travel to Beijing for the upcoming ATP 500 tournament as they begin their campaigns in China’s capital later this week.
In regards to the ATP Race, Medvedev remains eighth, but has given himself a 500-point cushion over ninth-placed Rafael Jodar to reach the Tour Finals in Turin.
Rublev, though, is languishing down in 20th in the Race, with the 28-year-old currently chalking up 1,975 points this year.
