Medvedev completes hard-court hat-trick with Dubai Tennis Championships title

Daniil Medvedev completed an ATP Tour hat-trick on Saturday when he overcame Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-2 to win the Dubai Tennis Championships, here.

The third seed produced a consistent performance throughout the 68-minute clash to extend his winning streak to 14 matches.

Having lifted trophies in Rotterdam and Doha in February, Medvedev is the third player to win three titles in as many weeks since 2021, joining Casper Ruud (July 2021) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (October 2022).

“It is amazing because at the start of the year, it was not perfect. In tennis when you don’t win matches you have doubts. Now it just feels better.I was really happy with these three weeks and I am looking forward to the next ones,” Medvedev said.

The 27-year-old’s strong hard-court form has lifted him to No. 6 in the ATP Live Rankings, rising above Rublev, who drops to No. 7. With his Tour-leading 19th win of the season, Medvedev improved to 5-2 in his ATP Head to Head series against the 25-year-old Rublev.

Following his 18th tour-level title, Medvedev will next compete at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he will be looking to continue his winning run. The former World No. 1 is six victories from equalling his career-best winning streak on the ATP Tour, having earned 20 consecutive victories from November 2020 to January 2021.

Medvedev entered the final having not dropped a set all week and he played with confidence against Rublev to frustrate the second seed. The 27-year-old committed just two unforced errors in the first set as he sat deep behind the baseline to soak up Rublev’s aggressive hitting.

After clinching the opener, Medvedev continued to find the perfect balance between defence and attack. He turned the tables in the baseline exchanges with his precise crosscourt forehand, breaking twice in the second set to seal his victory.

The 2022 champion Rublev was aiming to become the third repeat titlist at the ATP 500 event in Dubai, alongside Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Notably, Medvedev has won his 18 tour-level titles in 18 different cities. He is the first man in the Open Era to accomplish the feat. Dubai, March 5 (IANS)