Daniil Medvedev wins Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships following Tallon Griekspoor withdrawal
The Russian wins his second title in Dubai
Daniil Medvedev wins his second Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title after a walkover victory against Tallon Griekspoor.
The Dutchman was unable to step to the court for the final due to an injury he picked up in his semi-final win against Andrey Rublev on Friday.
Griekspoor suffered a left hamstring injury and was deemed unfit to play in the ATP 500 Men’s Final following a medical assessment.
Medvedev reached the final in emphatic fashion, from the very start of the tournament the third seed looked in commanding form, opening with a confident straight-sets victory over Shang Juncheng and followed it up in the Round of 16 by defeating veteran Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3.
In the quarter-finals he continued that run with another straight-sets performance, this time against Jenson Brooksby, controlling both serve and return to advance comfortably. His momentum didn’t slow in the semis either, he delivered a commanding performance to beat top seed Félix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-2, showcasing tactical depth and pressure tolerance on the fast Dubai hard courts.
Speaking following the walkover victory, Medvedev said it wasn’t the way he wanted to win but he is happy to lift the trophy nevertheless.
He said: "Yeah, I mean, of course unfortunate, but Tallon I could see yesterday that maybe he had an injury.
"You never know how these injuries develop through the night. Sometimes they get easier and you can play, like with some soreness, and sometimes they get worse.
"I played a great tournament, the four matches I played. Of course, I wanted to play the final, but it is what it is. I played unbelievable level yesterday. I would in a way take it as a final for me, happy to win the tournament."
