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Almaty Open ATP ATP 250

Michelsen ends skid in Almaty, begins coaching trial with Kristof Vliegen

Michelsen snapped a five-match singles skid with an Almaty Open win trialling coach Kristof Vliegen.

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Alex Michelsen arrived in Almaty after reaching his second career ATP Masters 1000 doubles final in Shanghai, where he finished runner-up with Andre Goransson. He saw the doubles swing as a way to sharpen match play. “It’s good matches, it’s good money and it’s good pressure points as well,” he said.

That tune-up paid immediate dividends. On Wednesday, the world No. 36 opened his Almaty campaign with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Beibit Zhukayev to snap a five-match losing streak in singles that stretched back to the Cincinnati Open. “Definitely a tough go lately in singles, so super happy to end that little streak I was on. The altitude here, I feel like it’s helpful for my game. Shots are penetrating a little more,” assesses Michelsen.

The win evened his career indoor record to 10-10 and underlined areas he wants to build on. “I’ve definitely underachieved indoors,” he states before expressing that he “absolutely loves” playing under a roof. He emphasised aggressive intentions, looking to finish points at the net while also finding rhythm from the baseline. “The balls die like they do everywhere nowadays, but when they’re not super dead, I think it’s a little easier to be offensive. Especially in the altitude, the balls are flying a little more,” he says. “I played super well at the baseline for the first time in a long time. A lot of positives going forward.”

Following the match, the on-court emcee presented Michelsen with a Kazakh coin for his collection. He is travelling with a compact team this week, including a familiar trainer and a new coach. “I’m here with Kristof Vliegen, new coach. As of now we’re doing a little trial period,” he reveals. “So let’s see how it goes. And then I’m with my trainer Byron (Manning), I’ve been with him for a couple of years.”

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A win Thursday over Aleksandar Vukic would send Michelsen through to his seventh tour-level quarterfinal of the year. The sixth seed is bidding to become the ninth first-time winner on the ATP Tour this season.

Almaty Open ATP ATP 250

Medvedev dedicates Almaty title to newborn Victoria after ending 882-day drought

Medvedev ended an 882-day title drought in Almaty, dedicating the victory to daughter Victoria. 2025

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Daniil Medvedev ended a long title drought at the Almaty Open in October, and the victory took on a deeply personal tone. The former world No. 1 captured his first trophy in 882 days at the ATP 250 event, claiming his 21st career title in a 21st different city after gritty wins over James Duckworth and Corentin Moutet in the tournament’s final rounds.

The statistical milestone was secondary to a touching courtside moment. Medvedev, playing in front of his family, brought his wife and their two daughters into the spotlight and dedicated the triumph to his second daughter. “I want to thank my family, my beautiful wife, and my two daughters. It is the first time I have been at a tournament with my two daughters and wife together, so to get a title is really nice.

I honor this title to my second daughter Victoria, because the first title I got when my first daughter Alisa was born was for her, so this one is for Victoria. Daniil Medvedev”

After the trophy presentation the family posed together, with baby Victoria and 3-year-old Alisa — who celebrated her birthday with a party during the tournament — sharing the moment. The photo shoot included a traditional Kazakh chapan, a robe the symbolizes honor, respect and hospitality.

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The Almaty win was a turning point in an uneven 2025. Medvedev won just one match combined at the four Grand Slam tournaments, finished the year at No. 13, his lowest ranking since 2018, and split with longtime coach Gilles Cervara after a first-round loss to Benjamin Bonzi at the US Open. He later linked up with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke as part of a new coaching setup that helped guide him to success in Almaty. Reflecting on his choices, he said during the Rolex Shanghai Masters, “I’m 29 years old, almost 30 soon, and [I wanted] to try something new in my adult career,” he said during the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

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Almaty Open ATP ATP 250

Medvedev ends 882-day title drought at Almaty, dedicates win to daughter Victoria

Medvedev ended an 882-day title drought at the Almaty Open, dedicating the win to daughter Victoria.

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Daniil Medvedev ended an 882-day wait for a trophy by defeating Corentin Moutet in the Almaty Open final. The second seed closed out a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory to claim his 21st career title while his family looked on.

The moment carried personal meaning. Medvedev celebrated on court with his youngest daughter Victoria, older daughter Alisa and his mother Daria. During the trophy ceremony he dedicated the title to his younger daughter and reflected on the family milestone. “It’s the first time I’m at a tournament with my two daughters together, so to get a title is really nice,” he said. “This title is in honor of my second daughter, Victoria, because the first title I got when my first daughter Alisa was born was for her. So this one’s for Victoria.”

Both Medvedev and Moutet were presented a chapan, a traditional Kazakh robe offered as a sign of honor, respect and hospitality. The presentation underscored the local appreciation shown to the finalists.

At 29 years old, Medvedev added another line to an unusual streak. The victory continued a run that began at the January 2018 Sydney International, leaving him with 21 titles from 21 different cities on the ATP Tour. The week’s success also moved him up two places to No. 13 in the race to the ATP Finals.

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The win ended a drought that stretched back to May 2023 and supplied a distinctly family-focused narrative to the Almaty trophy ceremony. Photographs captured the presentation and a family portrait that Medvedev described as especially meaningful. The match result finished the tournament with the second seed reclaiming a place in the winner’s circle.

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Almaty Open ATP ATP 250

Medvedev ends long title drought with Almaty win, now 21 titles in 21 cities

Medvedev ended a 29-month title drought in Almaty, reaching 21 career titles in 21 cities. Now 2025.

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Daniil Medvedev captured the Almaty title on Sunday, securing his first ATP trophy in nearly two and a half years since Rome in May of 2023. He defeated Corentin Moutet in the final, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, to claim his first title of the 2025 season at the indoor event.

The victory followed a difficult summer that included a first-round exit at the US Open. Medvedev rebounded to reach the quarterfinals in Hangzhou and then back-to-back semifinals in Beijing and Shanghai before arriving in Almaty and lifting the trophy.

“It feels great,” Medvedev said afterwards. “I was not super happy with the way I played in some moments of the match, but to win feels amazing, and it means in the most important points of the match I managed to play good. The last game was actually incredible.

“I’m happy to win the title—it continues my funny story of 21 different titles in 21 different cities, so I’m happy about it.”

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Medvedev has now collected 21 career titles in 21 different cities. Those wins span 17 countries: four in the United States (Cincinnati, Miami, US Open and Winston-Salem), two in France (Marseille and Paris) and one each in Australia (Sydney), Austria (Vienna), Bulgaria (Sofia), Canada (Toronto), China (Shanghai), Italy (Rome), Japan (Tokyo), Mexico (Los Cabos), the Netherlands (Rotterdam), Qatar (Doha), Russia (St. Petersburg), Spain (Mallorca), the UAE (Dubai) and the UK (ATP Finals).

The 21 titles are also distributed across four continents: nine in Europe, six in North America, five in Asia and one in Australia.

Medvedev will play two more indoor events next: the ATP 500 in Vienna and the Masters 1000 in Paris. A win in either would break the pattern, since he has already triumphed at Paris in 2020 and Vienna in 2022. If he qualifies for the ATP Finals in Turin, that event would add a new city; he has previously won the ATP Finals in 2020 when it was held at the O2 in London.

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