Daniil Medvedev finds his range and stays on course for Brisbane title | ATP tour | Tennis

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Medvedev finds his range and remains on course for the Brisbane title

Former world number 1 next plays Michelsen; Nakashima & Kovacevic put SF
January 9, 2026

Daniil Medvedev recovered from a slow start on Friday before staying on course in his title chase at the Brisbane International presented by ANZ.

The top seed was initially defeated by lucky loser Kamil Majchrzak in the first set, but opted for a more aggressive approach to triumph 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 and book his place 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 beat 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 calm and hit some great shots to win the match.”

By reaching his 52nd tour-level semifinal on hard court, Medvedev broke his tie with Gael Monfils for second place among active players, behind only Novak Djokovic (127). According to Infosys ATP Stats, Medvedev lost only five points on serve against Majchrzak in the deciding set.

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

In the bottom half of the draw, Aleksandar Kovacevic and Brandon Nakashima scored contrasting wins to set up an all-American semi-final in Brisbane. Kovacevic withstood 24 aces from 6-foot-4 Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to eventually win 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3, while Nakashima cruised 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 would be a very tough match, he already had some great wins here,” Nakashima said of Collignon, who defeated two-time Brisbane champion Grigor Dimitrov in the second round. “I knew I had to bring my best game and I’m glad I did it in the end.”