Medvedev books China Open semi-final with familiar foe Zverev

BEIJING : Second seed Daniil Medvedev overcame a mid-match wobble to beat Ugo Humbert 6-4 3-6 6-1 on Monday and move into the China Open semi-finals, where he will face Alexander Zverev in their fifth meeting this season.

Medvedev has been a model of consistency on hardcourts this year with titles in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai and Miami and though the Russian world number three was not at his dominant best he battled past Humbert for his 41st win of 2023 on the surface.

"I'm happy that I managed to raise my level in important moments, except a game in the second set," Medvedev said. "It's great that I managed to still find in this tough match these moments of consistency, which is enough to win.

"That's what you have to do. I'm happy to be in the semi-finals. When you come to the tournament, you always want to go as far as possible. Happy to still be here tomorrow.

"The further we go, the tougher the matches, the tougher the opponents. That's normal."

Chengdu champion Zverev, who is rediscovering his best form after a serious ankle injury last year, extended his winning run to seven matches with a 6-1 6-7(5) 6-3 win over Chile's Nicolas Jarry.

The 10th-ranked German has lost three times to Medvedev this year but flipped the script in their last meeting in Cincinnati.

"It seems like we have to play each other every tournament this year. It's the fifth time we're going to play each other," Zverev said. "Every time we play, it's a battle.

"I'm looking forward to what's to come. He's playing great tennis. I hope I can bring my A game."

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz takes on Casper Ruud while Grigor Dimitrov meets Jannik Sinner in the other two quarter-finals.

SWIATEK AND GAUFF SOAR

In the women's tournament, world number two Iga Swiatek powered