Daniil Medvedev reached his second consecutive ATP Masters 1000 final on Friday when he clawed past long-term friend Karen Khachanov 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3 at the Miami Open presented by Itau.
In a tight clash in South Florida, Medvedev recovered from a second-set dip and survived an attacking bombardment from Khachanov to earn his 28th win of the season. The fourth seed hit his flat groundstrokes with consistency to force Khachanov into errors in the third set, while he absorbed the 14th seed’s thunderous forehand to triumph after two hours and 17 minutes.
Medvedev, who rose through the junior and professional ranks with Khachanov, now leads the 26-year-old 4-1 in their ATP Head2Head series. The fourth seed will meet Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner in the championship match on Sunday.
Medvedev will rise to No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings if he wins his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title and fourth trophy of the season in South Florida.
More to follow…
