Carlos Alcaraz goes past Daniil Medvedev to qualify for China Open final

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Daniil Medvedev by 7-5, 6-3 to reach the final at the ATP 500 in Beijing. The first set was a see-saw battle as both players broke each other serve but it was the Spaniard who had the final laugh.

However, the four-time Major champion found his top game in the second set and secured a win after 88 minutes to qualify for the summit clash.

“I think we both started the match pretty well,” said Alcaraz after extending his winning streak to eight tour-level matches. “It was a little bit unusual, with serve being broken many times in the first set. I broke his serve [for 3-2] and then in the next game, I don’t know what happened to me. I probably lost focus a little bit, missed a few first serves that against Daniil on a hard court is a really important weapon. You have to put good first serves in to put yourself in the position to attack.

Alcaraz was happy that he was able to get back on track in the opening set to take a crucial lead.

“I’m really happy that I didn’t lose my focus too long in the first set. I recovered it as soon as I got broken, and I’m really happy that at the end of the set I was able to play really good tennis in the return game and then serving at 6-5. I did a really good game. After that, once you are one set up, it’s a little bit easier, playing against Daniil with more confidence.”

Alcaraz added it is crucial to not get complacent and feels one has to keep fighting to get a positive result.

“Sometimes you think, ‘OK, it’s done’, but it’s not done. You have to keep fighting,” reflected Alcaraz. “You have to keep playing the same way that you were playing before and just forget about the opponent. You should focus on yourself and your tennis, so that’s what I tried to do. I was still playing the same way I had played until that point in the match. I didn’t lose the focus in that moment, so I’m really happy that I kept pushing.”

Alcaraz will take on either Yunchaokete Bu or Jannik Sinner in the final.