No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz wins electrifying semi-final against No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev

No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain defeated familiar opponent No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev in a hard-fought 7-5, 6-3 China Open semi-final. The match featured thrilling rallies as both players fluidly transitioned between defense and attack.

“When I face Daniil, we both show really good tennis, really good rallies,” Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference. “The people enjoy that a lot.”

The fans in the Diamond Court hung on to every rally, anxiously watching each point at the edge of their seats. At the conclusion of each rally, the stadium erupted with noise, no matter who came out on top.

“I love it in China,” Medvedev said after the match, smiling. “I love Chinese fans. I feel like they love me. That's probably one of not many places in the world.”

The match began evenly, with each player comfortably winning his first two service games. In the fifth game, Medvedev saved two break points, but misplaced shots in the next two points, allowing Alcaraz to break the 28-year-old’s serve. Another hard-hitting rally went Alcaraz’s way in the next game, but Medvedev battled back to break the Spaniard’s serve, bringing the set to 3-3.

“I knew what I have to do. What I had to do is keep going, keep playing my tennis,” Alcaraz said. “The opportunity is going to show up again, that's what I thought when he broke my serve after I [broke his].”

Alcaraz went on to win the next four points in the following game, holding his opponent to love from the return position to achieve his second break. However, Medvedev again rallied to break the 21-year-old’s ensuing service game. The World No. 3 didn’t falter, though, winning three of the next four games and taking the set in just under 50 minutes. 

The second set began eerily similar to the first; each player looked dominant from the service position and slightly uncomfortable when returning. The players again held serve through the first four games. 

In the fifth game, Medvedev served at 30-40. The two players rallied until Alcaraz hit a baseline passing shot that caught the net and propelled up and over Medvedev’s outstretched racquet. Medvedev was visibly frustrated at this stroke of bad luck as Alcaraz went up 3-2 in the set. Alcaraz capitalized on this turning point, winning four straight service points to put himself up two games. Medvedev responded strongly by winning his next service game, but he couldn’t regain his footing. Alcaraz went on to win his next serve, bringing the energy into the ninth game and winning the match after three deuces.

Alcaraz, yet to lose a set (8-0) at this year’s tournament, will face World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final on Wednesday. He leads 5-4 in their head-to-head meetings, winning the last two meetings this season in the semi-finals at Masters 1000 Indian Wells and in the semi-finals at Roland Garros.

“The atmosphere here, once again it was crazy,” Alcaraz said. “I enjoyed it a lot. Hopefully I'm going to feel that energy in the final again.”

Despite his loss, Medvedev is happy with his China Open performance. He is already looking forward to next week, when he will take part in the Rolex Shanghai Masters tournament.

“Coming here, I was not feeling great in confidence, in the approach to my tennis,” Medvedev said. “I won three great matches. I played very good against Carlos. I’m looking forward to Shanghai to try to continue this positive dynamic.”

—Reporting by Reade Snelling