Daniil Medvedev will arrive in New York for his U.S. Open title defence this month as the top seed after the Russian confirmed his stay as world number one by reaching the final in Los Cabos, Mexico.
A ban on Russian players at Wimbledon due to Moscowโs invasion of Ukraine forced Medvedev to miss the grasscourt major and he arrived in Mexico for the ATP 250 event with his top ranking under threat.
But the 26-year-oldโs 7-6(0) 6-1 victory against Serbiaโs Miomir Kecmanovic in the semi-finals guaranteed his second stint at the helm of the menโs rankings at least until the hardcourt major at Flushing Meadows.
โVery tough match,โ Medvedev said on court. โHe started great and all the first set was a great level. So many tough points, so many points where I felt like I was close to getting the edge.
โThe tie-break was great.โ
Medvedev will be aiming to lift his first title of the year on Saturday in his fourth final of the 2022 season.
After going down to Rafa Nadal in the final of the Australian Open at the start of the year, Medvedev also lost championship matches on grass in the Netherlands and Germany.
His opponent on Saturday will be Britainโs 12th-ranked Cameron Norrie, the reigning champion in Los Cabos, who defeated Canadaโs Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the other semi-final.
