Daniil Medvedev defended a title for the first time in his career on Sunday, coming from a set down to beat Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the Almaty ATP 250.

The top seed had won 24 titles before this week but had lost all three finals he had previously reached as defending champion. He is now the first man to win the Almaty Open twice, after beating Corentin Moutet 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in last year’s final. It is only the second time he has won the same tournament more than once, after Dubai.

The title is the 25th of his career and his fourth of the season, after Brisbane, Dubai and Hangzhou. He is only the third man to win four titles in 2026, after Jannik Sinner (six) and Ben Shelton (four). His 23rd hard-court title draws him level with Sinner in the Open Era rankings for titles on the surface, and he extends his lead for hard-court wins this season.

A boost in the Race to Turin

The 85 points for the title lift Medvedev, ranked No. 5, past Flavio Cobolli into fifth place in the Race to Turin, with 3,670 points. He came to Almaty tired after his semifinal run in Shanghai and has now won eight straight matches at the event.

This week he beat Sho Shimabukuro of Japan 6-2, 6-1 and Terence Atmane of France 6-4, 6-4, then reached the final when No. 3 seed Alexander Bublik retired with a knee injury after losing the first set 6-3. He now leads Basilashvili 2-0 in their head-to-head, after winning 6-2, 6-2 in Vienna in 2022.

Basilashvili falls one match short

Basilashvili, 34, was trying to become the first qualifier to win the title in the event’s history, and to win his first title since Munich in 2021. He will still return to the top 100 on Monday after a week that started in qualifying. The Georgian, ranked No. 128, led the field with 45 aces before the final. He beat Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-2, 7-5, Facundo Diaz Acosta of Argentina 6-2, 6-4, Adrian Mannarino of France 6-3, 6-1 and No. 7 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3.