Daniil Medvedev opens 2026 with victory in Brisbane, sets up clash between Frances Tiafoe | ATP tour | Tennis

Match report

Medvedev opens 2026 with a win in Brisbane and sets up a clash with Tiafoe

Lehecka, Korda and Michelsen advance to ATP 250
January 5, 2026

Seven years after reaching the final at the Brisbane International presented by ANZ, Daniil Medvedev marked his return to the ATP 250 event with a 6-2, 6-3 first round victory against Marton Fucsovics on Monday.

The 29-year-old leads the field as the top seed in Brisbane this week and showcased his credentials in a comfortable win against Fucsovics. Medvedev broke the Hungarian’s serve in the third game of the match and never looked back, controlling the tempo to seal a 70-minute victory.

“I played great and I am happy with my level,” Medvedev said. “I could have played a few better times on my serve, but I played great from the baseline. I’m happy with my first match of the year.”

The No. 13 player in the PIF ATP Rankings broke his two-year title drought in Almaty in October and will look to add to his 21 tour-level trophies this week. Medvedev leads Fucsovics 5-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series and will next meet American Frances Tiafoe.

His coach Thomas Johansson watched Medvedev court in Brisbane, with the pair joining forces in late 2025.

“Last year, when we started, was a testing period,” Medvedev said of Johansson. “We had the end of the season to see if it would work or not. It worked great, not only in terms of results, but also in terms of relationships, both off and on the pitch. We understand each other and it has been a great pre-season.”

Earlier, defending champion Jiri Lehecka made a winning start on his return to Brisbane, edging past compatriot Tomas Machac 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2 to reach the second round. The Czech saved both break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and will next face Sebastian Korda.

Korda opened his season with a 7-6(1), 6-3 victory against Shanghai champion Valentin Vacherot. The American has performed impressively in Australia in the past and reached the finals in Adelaide twice.

Alex Michelsen set up a second round Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with good friend Learner Tien after beating Australian James Duckworth 6-7(4), 7-6(2), 6-3. Reilly Opelka, a finalist in Brisbane last year, passed the Dane Sweeny 6-3, 7-5 and will next face Kamil Majchrzak.

Quentin Halys defeated Australian Alexei Popyrin 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. Popyrin has lost his past six matches, dating back to the US Open in August.