Medvedev wins Hangzhou: 23 aces and Rublev beaten in the final

Daniil Medvedev has won the Hangzhou Open. In the final he beat fellow Russian Andrey Rublev 7-5 6-4, in a match decided by his serve. According to the ATP, he hit 23 aces against just two double faults in 93 minutes.

The event is an ATP 250 on Chinese hard courts, which began on 21 September 2026. The title is worth 250 points, the runner-up gets 165. For Medvedev it confirms a good spell: the site's profile puts him sixth in the ATP rankings with 3,730 points, up three places since 8 July.

Ahead of him is Felix Auger Aliassime, fifth with 170 more points. Right behind is Flavio Cobolli, seventh, 95 points away. Higher up, Carlos Alcaraz is fourth with 4,560 points, 830 more than Medvedev. The gap to the top is still big, but the week in Hangzhou has got the rankings moving again.

The Russian's route was clean. Among the two highest seeds in the draw, he began in the round of 16 against France's Valentin Royer, beaten 7-6(6) 6-3. In the quarter-finals he faced his first real test in Hong Kong's Chak Lam Coleman Wong: 6-3 6-7(2) 6-3, dropping the second set in a tie-break before taking control in the third.

In the semi-finals came another Russian, Roman Safiullin, beaten 7-5 6-4. Two sets, no tie-break. Safiullin had had a good week too, beating France's Quentin Halys 5-7 6-3 6-4 in the round of 16 and Bu Yunchaokete 6-3 6-3 in the quarter-finals.

On the other side of the draw, Rublev had a bumpier road. After a 6-3 6-3 win over Australia's Rinky Hijikata in the round of 16, he had to survive France's Hugo Gaston in the quarter-finals: 6-7(6) 7-6(4) 6-1. In the semi-finals he then swept aside France's Kyrian Jacquet 7-6(0) 6-1.

The final was tight only in the first set. Rublev pushed hard from the start, but Medvedev absorbed the pace and closed the set at 7-5. In the second, the serve took over: the 6-4 scoreline tells of a winner who made few mistakes when it mattered.

The head-to-head between the two, according to the data recorded by the site, reads 4-1 to Medvedev, who has won the last three meetings in a row. The latest is this one; before it came the 2023 Dubai final (6-2 6-2) and the 2023 US Open quarter-final (6-4 6-3 6-4). Rublev won one meeting, the 2021 Cincinnati semi-final, 2-6 6-3 6-3, while Medvedev had won the 2021 Australian Open quarter-final 7-5 6-3 6-2.

After the match Medvedev spoke about the weight of facing a compatriot. As reported by the ATP, he said: "There is always a tiny bit more on the line." And he added: "I think I handled it well. I played good in the important moments and I'm really happy with my level."

At the trophy ceremony, again according to the ATP, he addressed the runner-up: "I'm really happy to see you in this final. Sorry that I served good today, but hopefully we can finish the season this strong."

The win matters statistically too. Again according to the ATP, it is his third title of 2026 after Brisbane and Dubai, the 24th of his career at tour level and the 22nd on hard courts. On hard courts he has 27 wins this season, the most on tour, level with Alexander Zverev, in an overall 2026 record of 38 wins and 16 losses.

Recent form confirms the trend. In his last ten matches Medvedev has won seven and lost three, while over the last thirty the balance is twenty wins against ten defeats. After the disappointment of the US Open, where he went out in the round of 16 against Frances Tiafoe (7-6(1) 6-4 7-6(6)), the week in China has restored confidence.

The history helps put this season in context. In 2025, at tour level, Medvedev finished with 41 wins, 24 losses and a single title. Across 2021-2025 the site's profile records 197 wins and 74 losses, with ten titles and twenty finals: the numbers of a leading player, which in 2026 he is rediscovering.

Then there is the race to the ATP Finals in Turin. The ATP notes that Medvedev is eighth in the Live Race To Turin and "firmly in contention" to return to the season finale, after missing out last year for the first time since 2018. The calendar leaves no room for distraction, though: over the next six weeks the Russian has 495 points to defend.

Most of them come from Almaty, where he won the title in 2025 for 250 points. Then there are the 45 points from the round of 16 in Vienna and the 200 from the quarter-finals at the Paris Masters 1000. To stay where he is in the rankings he will have to confirm last autumn's results, or better them.

For Rublev it is still an excellent week, even if it ended in defeat. He is 17th in the rankings with 2,150 points, four places lower than on 8 July. Ahead of him is Jakub Mensik, 16th with 165 more points, while behind him Brandon Nakashima is just 5 points away.

Rublev's season already has one title, won in Bastad by beating Italy's Luciano Darderi 6-4 6-3. In his last ten matches he has won six and lost four. Over the next six weeks he has 110 points to defend, 10 in Vienna and 100 at the Paris Masters 1000, so he has room to climb.

The tournament offered other talking points too. The draw had 28 players from 14 nations, with France the best represented (five players). 27 matches were played, with 17 tie-breaks and ten going to a deciding set, and no retirements. The longest match by games was Fabian Marozsan v Taro Daniel, 6-7(2) 7-5 7-6(1), 38 games in all.

On the roll of honour Medvedev follows Alexander Bublik, who won in 2025 against Valentin Royer in the final (7-6(4) 7-6(4)), and Marin Cilic, who beat Zhizhen Zhang in 2024. The Russian has also made up for his 2025 in Hangzhou, when he went out in the quarter-finals for 50 points.

And now? Medvedev's next aim is to consolidate sixth place and keep climbing the Race to Turin. For Rublev it is to rediscover consistency after a final that confirms his solidity on hard courts. One thing is certain: the end of the season promises a fight, and the two Russians will be centre stage again.