Medvedev shows signs of revival in Beijing, set to battle Zverev for a spot in the semifinals

Medvedev’s 2025 season has been disappointing overall, especially after his first-round loss at the US Open and the breakup of his team. Yet, the China Open could be the stage where he changes his momentum.

On Sunday afternoon in Beijing’s ATP 500 tournament, 29-year-old Medvedev defeated Spanish player Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 6-3, marking his third straight quarterfinal appearance at this event. Although his 29 wins and 19 losses this year might seem modest by his high standards, he remains focused on regaining the form that once made him ATP world number one.

When asked which qualities from his past he hopes to draw upon, Medvedev said, “Maybe it’s the feel for the match and the overall awareness I’ve been lacking lately. I’m working hard to regain these, which is why I’m happy today. To win more return games, I need to react faster on the return and move quicker on the next shot. Everything needs improvement right now, but it’s not too bad at the moment.”

After his early exit at the US Open last month, Medvedev split with coach Gilles Cervara, with whom he had worked for eight years. He is currently collaborating with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Gajjar. Ranked 18th in the world—his lowest since January 2019—Medvedev’s next opponent will be second seed Zverev. Zverev overcame Corentin Moutet 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 despite being broken in the deciding set.

Moutet reached a career-high ranking of 37, using his signature unpredictable and varied style to challenge Zverev. In their 2-hour 38-minute match, Moutet hit 40 winners. Yet, Zverev showed great resilience in the final set, winning six of the last eight games to keep his hopes alive for the title.

Zverev commented on Moutet by saying:

“He played very well, no doubt about that. His performance and improvement this summer have been impressive. He’s a very tough opponent, so I’m glad to have advanced.”

Before heading to Beijing, Zverev received a treatment injection for his back. He stated:

“I still don’t feel great physically today; there’s some pain. Sometimes I get a bit frustrated with myself, but at crucial moments, I fought through, and I think I played my best tennis of the match in the deciding set.”

Medvedev leads their head-to-head record 13-7.

Zverev also has an impressive track record in Beijing: he has reached the semifinals three times, holding a 14-5 win-loss record at the event.

Additionally, fourth seed Musetti will face rising star Linner for a semifinal berth. Last week, Musetti reached the final of the Chengdu Open but was narrowly defeated by the returning Chilean player Tabillo.

Currently ranked seventh on the PIF ATP Turin Finals live leaderboard, Musetti strengthened his bid to qualify for the ATP Finals for the first time by beating 37-year-old qualifier Mannarino 6-3, 6-3. The 19-year-old Linner defeated Italian player Cobolli 6-3, 6-2 to reach the ATP Tour quarterfinals for the fifth time in his career, having never progressed beyond this stage before.

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