ATP Tour

Medvedev finds his range, stays on course for Brisbane title

Former World No. 1 next plays Michelsen; Nakashima & Kovacevic set SF

January 09, 2026

TENNIS AUSTRALIA

Daniil Medevedev is chasing his 22nd tour-level title. By ATP Staff

Daniil Medvedev recovered from a slow start on Friday before remaining on track in his title pursuit at the Brisbane International presented by ANZ.

The top seed was initially outgunned by lucky loser Kamil Majchrzak in the first set, but adopted a more aggressive approach to prevail 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 and book his spot in the semi-finals. Medvedev, who reached the championship match in his only previous appearance in Brisbane in 2019, is chasing his 22nd tour-level trophy this week after a strong finish to 2025.

"I'm super happy with myself" 😊@DaniilMedwed comes back from a set down to defeat Majchrzak in Brisbane 👏@BrisbaneTennis | #BrisbaneInternational pic.twitter.com/4hLEdEv5eK

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 9, 2026

“I think it was a high-quality match. I would honestly say it was a Top 10 match in terms of shotmaking,” said Medvedev, the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I’m happy with myself… I managed to stay composed and hit some great shots to win the match.”

By reaching his 52nd tour-level semi-final on hard courts, Medvedev broke his tie with Gael Monfils for the second most among active players, trailing only Novak Djokovic (127). Against Majchrzak, Medvedev dropped just five points on serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats, in the deciding set.

Medvedev next plays Alex Michelsen, who edged countryman Sebastian Korda 6-3, 7-6(7) for his 50th tour-level win on hard courts. Michelsen was rock solid behind serve, saving the only break point he faced, but he was significantly helped by Korda’s 37 unforced errors during their one-hour, 39-minute clash.

In the bottom half of the draw, Aleksandar Kovacevic and Brandon Nakashima scored contrasting wins to set an all-American semi-final in Brisbane. Kovacevic weathered 24 aces from 6’8” Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to eventually prevail 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3, while Nakashima eased past Belgian qualifier Raphael Collignon 6-3, 6-3 to reach his 10th ATP Tour semi-final.

“I’m super happy with the way I played. I knew it was going to be a very tough match, he had a couple of great wins here already,” Nakashima said of Collignon, who downed two-time Brisbane champion Grigor Dimitrov in the second round. “I knew I had to bring my best game, and I’m happy I did it in the end.”

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