Astana Open: Daniil Medvedev beats Roberto Bautista Agut to set up a semifinal clash with Novak Djokovic

Daniil Medvedev dominated his Spanish opponent throughout the match in what can be considered his best performance of the season. He forced Bautista Agut into making errors and maintained control with powerful flat groundstrokes to secure his victory after one hour and four minutes of play.

Daniil Medvedev served six aces, won 88% of the points on the first serve and broke the serve of Roberto Bautista Agut six times from 14 opportunities. In contrast, the 34-year-old Spaniard served no aces and won just 48% of the points on the first serve.

After the victory, Daniil Medvedev said, “I am happy to play the right game, to be really solid and to do everything I can to make his life difficult and I am really happy to beat him. I tried to mix it up as it is not easy to play against Roberto. I tried to mix it up and surprise him a little bit and it worked very well.”

Daniil Medvedev will lock horns with Serbian legend Novak Djokovic in a semifinal clash of the Astana Open on October 8. The 35-year-old Serb advanced to the semifinals after securing a straight-set 6-4, 6-3 victory over Roberto Bautista Agut.

Stefanos Tsitsipas advances to the semifinal in Kazakhstan

Greek sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to the semifinal of the Astana Open after securing a hard-fought 7-6(10-8), 6-3 victory over Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.

Hubert Hurkacz troubled Stefanos Tsitsipas with his explosive smashes and forced him into playing defensively in the opening set. The second-seeded Greek pounced on the opportunity when a backhand shot by Hubert Hurkacz went wide.

Hubert Hurkacz saved all eight breakpoints in the next three games as the Pole produced several consecutive returns, which Stefanos Tsitsipas responded to with seven.

The 24-year-old Greek clinched the opening set 7-6(10-8). Both players almost evenly matched until 4-3 in the second set, when Stefanos Tsitsipas took control to secure his victory on the indoor hardcourts in Astana.

After the victory, Stefanos Tsitsipas said, “I got that break I was looking for in one of the very last moments of the match, which gave me such a relief after trying to break him for so long.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas will next face Andrey Rublev of Russia in a semifinal clash of the Astana Open on October 8.