Almaty 2025, Semifinal Preview: Medvedev Aims for Special Result 

We are down to four at the 2025 Almaty Open, and former world No.1 Daniil Medvedev is hoping that he can be the last man standing. With 20 ATP titles under his belt, the 29-year-old has 20 more than the other three semifinalists, but he isn’t counting his chickens before they hatch.  

Medvedev has been held without a title since the spring of 2023, so he knows how difficult the task at hand will be. 

Meanwhile, a trio of hungry players will join the Russian in the final four to make for an entertaining semifinal Saturday inside the Almaty Arena. Join us for a look at the semifinal matchups. 

[2] Daniil Medvedev vs [Q] James Duckworth
Head-to-Head: Medvedev leads, 1-0

Medvedev served lights-out during his quarterfinal win over Fabian Marozsan, and the Russian will look to keep it up on Saturday as he faces Australian qualifier Duckworth for the second time. The 29-year-old Russian took their only previous meeting and he is starting to look very comfortable in the fast-playing conditions of the Almaty Arena. 

The former US Open champion and six-time major finalist was dominant on serve on Friday, and he credits the altitude for helping him relax and focus on precision more than power. 

«It’s a mix of everything and for sure the altitude here helps, because you can see in every match that whenever the serve is precise – not even strong – it’s tough to return it, so you don’t have to go full power, compared to somewhere like Shanghai, for example,» he said. «For sure when you don’t go full power you can gain a higher percentage.» 

Duckworth, who reached the finals in Astana in 2021, also loves the conditions. He may be over 100 spots behind Medvedev in the rankings, but don’t count out the 33-year-old. He loves the conditions in Almaty as well, and has won five matches to get from qualifying to the semifinals. 

[6] Alex Michelsen vs [8] Corentin Moutet 
Head-to-Head: Tied, 1-1 at ATP Level 

Two crafty combatants will go head-to-head in Saturday’s second semifinal as Corentin Moutet will face American Alex Michelsen for the third time this season. The pair have split the two meetings, and both are showing top-flight tennis in Almaty, so their rubber match should be an electric affair. 

Moutet has reached his fourth semifinal of 2025 without dropping a set, and his mental toughness has been on full display while doing so. He saved five set points in the second set of his first-round win over Bernard Tomic, then rallied from double break down in the opening set of his second-round victory over Alexander Shevchenko. 

In the quarterfinals, for his next act, Moutet saved 15 of 18 break points to defeat high-flying Jan-Lennard Struff. The Frenchman has gumption! 

Michelsen, into his third semifinal of the season, has found his form after entering the main draw on a five-match losing streak. The youngest semifinalist, at 21, will have to be on his toes to keep the clever Moutet at bay. And he’ll have to be resilient, just as he was during his 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 win over talented Shintaro Mochizuki on Friday.