Medvedev Grinds Out Brisbane Semifinal Victory
Daniil Medvedev overcomes a barrage of errors and stubborn resistance from Alex Michelsen to secure his place in the Brisbane final, channeling late-2025 momentum into a gritty 6-4, 6-2 win.
Daniil Medvedev walked into Pat Rafter Arena with the ghosts of 2019 trailing him—the year he fell just short here as runner-up. On Saturday night, the top seed faced a different kind of test against Alex Michelsen, an American on the rise whose aggressive strokes kept the pressure dialed up. Medvedev emerged with a 6-4, 6-2 semifinal victory, his 41st tour-level final, despite 27 unforced errors that dotted the humid Brisbane air like scattered rain.
The match started with Medvedev’s flat returns clashing against Michelsen’s heavy topspin forehands, the ball skidding low on the medium-paced hardcourt. He leaned on his 1–2 pattern—serve wide, backhand crosscourt—to snag the first set’s lone break, but the errors hinted at a mind still sharpening after a resurgent 2025. Saving all four break points in the second set, per ATP Stats, turned the tide, as he mixed in underspin slices to disrupt the American’s rhythm.
“It was not easy at all. The score doesn’t completely reflect the match,” said Medvedev, the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. “But I’m happy that in the most important moments, I managed to be better than Alex. That’s what you have to do to win the match.”
Job done
No.1 seed @DaniilMedwed defeats Michelsen 6-4, 6-2 to reach his 41st tour-level final.@BrisbaneTennis | #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/4fSEC3nWld— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 10, 2026
Errors mask a season’s hard-won edge
Medvedev’s path to this point echoes the psychological rebuild from late 2025, where consecutive semifinals in Beijing and Shanghai rebuilt his fire before he ended a 15-month title drought in Almaty. Those wins carried into Brisbane, transforming potential slumps into calculated risks on a surface that rewards counterpunchers. The crowd’s low hum built with each extended rally, the arena’s lights casting long shadows as Michelsen fired inside-out forehands that tested Medvedev’s deeper positioning.
By the second set, adjustments clicked: fewer aggressive poaches, more down-the-line backhands to exploit gaps. Michelsen’s pushback forced deuce after deuce, but Medvedev’s serve holds anchored the scrappy affair, his flat trajectory piercing the humid night. This wasn’t flawless tennis; it was the gritty variety that ties him with Alexander Zverev for second among active players in finals reached, behind only Novak Djokovic’s 144.
Tactical poise meets American resolve
Earlier, Brandon Nakashima outlasted good friend Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6(4), 6-4, extending his set-perfect run through four matches in Brisbane. The American’s steady baseline game—clean crosscourt forehands and patient returns—contrasts Medvedev’s volatility, setting up a final where their 2-0 head-to-head favors the Russian. Nakashima’s consistency this week, rooted in his 2022 San Diego title, promises a tactical duel on courts that amplify flat hitters.
“Aleks and I are actually really good friends, we practised a lot the past month, so it’s great to see him playing well at these tournaments,” Nakashima said of his countryman. “For me, I’m really happy with the level I played today and I’m excited to keep playing here in Brisbane.”
Sunday’s decider at the Brisbane International presented by ANZ looms as a proving ground for Medvedev’s mental mapping, where varying spin and deeper returns could neutralize Nakashima’s unflinching patterns. The outdoor hardcourts, with their grippy texture, demand precision amid the building buzz, and Medvedev’s ability to channel this semifinal survival into dominance will define his 2026 launch. As the @DaniilMedwed faithful chant under the @BrisbaneTennis lights, expect inside-in winners to slice through any lingering doubts, turning Brisbane’s legacy into his own.
