Key Takeaways
- Daniil Medvedev captured his 24th career title at the Hangzhou Open by defeating Andrey Rublev, securing his 3rd tournament win of 2026.
- The victory extended Medvedev’s 8th-place lead in the race to the ATP Finals to 511 points over Rafael Jodar and 540 points over Taylor Fritz.
- Daniil Medvedev stated that qualifying for Turin is “100%, it’s the main remaining goal” this season, but insisted he will take it “step by step.”
Daniil Medvedev bolsters ATP Finals hopes with 24th career title
Daniil Medvedev has delivered a significant blow to his rivals in the race to the ATP Finals by securing his 24th career title at the Hangzhou Open. The former world number 1 defeated Andrey Rublev in the final, finding his rhythm once again following a disappointing run through the US Open hard-court swing.
The victory marks Medvedev’s 3rd title of 2026, a season in which he also reached the final at Indian Wells despite failing to progress beyond the 4th round at any Grand Slam tournament. Crucially, the triumph in Hangzhou gives him vital breathing space in 8th place in the ATP Live Race, pulling him clear of chasers Rafael Jodar and Taylor Fritz.
Medvedev’s mindset on the push for Turin
Medvedev missed out on the season-ending championships last year for the 1st time since 2018, but he is now in prime position to return. Speaking in an interview with Bolshe, the 30-year-old made no secret of his ambition while maintaining that he will not obsess over math during matches.
“For this season, 100%, it’s the main remaining goal, but it always depends on results,” Medvedev explained. “I mean, here I played well, I got my 250 points, that’s good. I think I’m number eight in the race right now, I’m ahead of someone by those 250 points, I think it’s Cobolli behind me but I’m not sure.”
Despite tracking his progress, Medvedev stressed that he refuses to become consumed by points while competing on court: “But I would never in my life follow that, like, ‘Oh, I must win my next match, I have 45 points.’ Okay, maybe only in Paris.”
Medvedev looked back on his previous season to illustrate how he handles ranking pressure down the stretch. “And even that, last year I think I had a chance to finish in the top 10, and that’s not about Turin, but it’s a good thing to finish in the top 10 and I lost to Zverev after having a match point,” he recalled. “I didn’t lose to him because of the top 10 pressure, it was just a match where I couldn’t win.”
Looking ahead to the closing weeks of the calendar, he added: “So to the goal is to play, show good tennis, try to go far in tournaments, and then I’ll be in Turin. If I lose in the first rounds, well, then I probably won’t be there. So the goal is there, but it needs to be achieved step by step.”
The battle for the final qualifying spots
Medvedev has built an advantage of 511 points over 9th-placed Jodar and 540 points over 10th-placed Fritz. The gap presents a difficult challenge for both chasers, especially given Medvedev’s extensive late-season schedule that includes entries in Beijing, Shanghai, Almaty, Vienna and Paris.
Only 3 players have officially booked their spots in Turin: Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who qualified via his Grand Slam title this season. Novak Djokovic sits back in 12th position, while Ben Shelton, Flavio Cobolli, Frances Tiafoe, Arthur Fils and Medvedev currently hold the remaining qualifying places.
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Zverev (Qualified) | 8650 |
| 2 | Jannik Sinner (Qualified) | 7950 |
| 3 | Ben Shelton | 4430 |
| 4 | Carlos Alcaraz (Qualified) | 4050 |
| 5 | Flavio Cobolli | 3530 |
| 6 | Frances Tiafoe | 3330 |
| 7 | Arthur Fils | 3225 |
| 8 | Daniil Medvedev | 3020 |
| 9 | Rafael Jodar | 2509 |
| 10 | Taylor Fritz | 2480 |
Medvedev will seek to extend his cushion over Jodar and Fritz when he begins his China Open campaign in Beijing against Pablo Carreno Busta in the 1st round.
ATP Beijing - Daniil Medvedev's projected path
Daniil Medvedev in 2026
At the moment ranked no.6, the Russian played his last match on the 29th of September when he beat world no.24 Andrey Rublev 7-5 6-4 in the final in Hangzhou to win his 24th career title.
During this season the Russian owns a compiled 38-16 record. Medvedev has won 3 titles in 2026 in Brisbane, Dubai and Hangzhou.
