Medvedev outlasts Khachanov in Miami to make fifth straight final; will play Alcaraz or Sinner for the title
Medvedev will now play the winner of the second semi-final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
AI/Reuters/Panoramic
Daniil Medvedev reached his fifth consecutive final on the ATP Tour as he outlasted No 14 seed Karen Khachanov 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3 in Miami on Friday.
Fourth seed Medvedev, the winner in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, hit 37 winners, including 13 aces, and made just 21 unforced errors as he ended the superb run of fellow Russian Khachanov after two hours, 17 minutes.
Medvedev’s reward will be a clash with either world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who beat him in the Indian Wells final last time out, or Italian Jannik Sinner. He’s now reached the final of every hardcourt Masters 1000 and every hardcourt Grand Slam event.
Khachanov goes for broke but can’t maintain it
Medvedev led 5-3 in the opening set but was pegged back as the pair, who are old friends, headed to a tiebreak. Medvedev shrugged off the disappointment to take it 7-5.
But Khachanov, who took out second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on his way to the semis, was going for everything and he broke immediately in the second set on the way to a 3-0 lead, maintaining his advantage to level the match, hitting 17 winners in the second set alone.
The beginning of the decider was a cagey affair but it was Medvedev who struck first, breaking for 3-1 and then holding his lead under pressure to clinch victory and a place in the final, the eighth time he’s made it to the title decider in a Masters 1000 event.
Medvdev had not dropped a set en route to the last four, beating Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena (6-1, 6-2), Slovak Alex Molcan (W/O), Frenchman Quentin Halys (6-4, 6-2) and American qualifier Christopher Eubanks (6-3, 7-5).
Khachanov, ranked No 16, beat Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry (6-1, 3-6, 6-3), Czech Jiri Lehecka (6-2, 6-4), Greek Tsitsipas, the second seed (7-6 (4), 6-4) and Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo, the No 25 seed (6-3, 6-2) in the previous rounds.
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