Daniil Medvedev explains the key reason why he was able to beat Alex de Minaur during 'tough' match in Shanghai

Daniil Medvedev is back on the charge, making the semifinal of a second successive event on the Asian swing by beating Alex de Minaur at the Shanghai Masters.

Medvedev has endured a rotten year, but after finally overcoming Learner Tien at the third time of asking this year, he must be starting to think his luck is turning!

Medvedev has an emerging rivalry with Tien, and after he lost unexpectedly to the teenager at the Australian Open, his year has spiralled out of control.

Medvedev admitted he was scared by Tien in the last 16 contest yesterday, but in today’s quarterfinal against De Minaur, there were no such concerns.

Daniil Medvedev shares why he thinks he beat Alex de Minaur

The 29-year-old is now close to reaching a Masters 1000 final and he will be desperate to finish his year with a flourish after a drab year in terms of the Grand Slam events.

This was the best that Medvedev has played for quite some time and he will take a lot of confidence from beating a player who is very hard to beat in De Minaur.

After the match, Medvedev shared why he thought he was able to come through a tough match and beat De Minaur in straight sets.

He said: “It was a tight match. He had a lot of opportunities, maybe a tiny bit more than me. Not in the first set. But no, actually not true. He had one game, and I had two in the second.

“So, tight match. I managed to be a bit more clutch in the important moments. So, happy with the way I played, especially the last two games, and I’m happy to be through.

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“Yeah, it was a great match. I was serving good in important moments. For sure, a couple of double-faults in the first set. I was soaking wet, it was so tough to hold the racquet. I’m just super happy to be in the semifinals in Shanghai. I’m looking forward to the next match.

“Yeah, when you play against Alex, when I play against Alex, we both like to make the opponent play an extra shot. So when we both do it, it makes a long rally.

“But, yeah, I was pretty tired after the last match, so I’m happy that I managed to fight, to stay in it. It was tough on me physically, but I managed to run, to bring back the balls to make some winners when I needed. And to finish with an ace was also a good feeling.”

Daniil Medvedev can quickly rise up the rankings once again

Last year, Medvedev was ranked so highly that he qualified for the end-of-year ATP Finals event in Turin, but fast forward 12 months and things aren’t quite as rosy.

A poor year in the big events has seen him slip to number 18 in the world rankings, and for a player who was the world number one in February 2022, that simply won’t do.

That said, Medvedev has showcased the ability to win matches once again and he will hope to build up some momentum in the closing stages of 2025 to carry forward into the Australian Open in 2026.

The Russian played superbly well against De Minaur and with Arthur Rinderknech to come in the last four, he will fancy his chances of reaching another Masters 1000 final.

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