Daniil Medvedev has beaten his fellow Russian and close friend Andrey Rublev to win the Hangzhou Open and claim his third title of the 2026 season.
The top seed defeated Rublev 7-5, 6-4 in Tuesday’s final, producing a dominant display on serve with 23 aces in the 93-minute match.
The victory gives Medvedev his 24th career ATP Tour title, adding the Hangzhou trophy to the titles he won earlier this year in Brisbane and Dubai.
Medvedev and Rublev have known each other for years and have faced each other several times on the ATP Tour. But the friendship is always put aside once they step onto the court.
After the match, Medvedev admitted that playing Rublev came with an extra effort because of their relationship.
“There is always a tiny bit more on the line. I think I handled it well. I played good in the important moments and I’m really happy with my level.”
Medvedev then used his speech to joke about the possibility of the pair meeting in even bigger finals in the future.
“We did a final of a 500, then a 250, now it’s time to play a final of a Masters 1000. And in five years, a Grand Slam.”
The win means Medvedev now leads Rublev 8-2. Their latest meeting was decided by Medvedev’s serve, with the 30-year-old producing 23 aces while keeping his serve throughout the match.
Rublev, who was playing in his first Hangzhou final, congratulated Medvedev after the match and said he hoped they would create many more memories together.
“I hope we will have many, many more memories over the years in the future.”
For Medvedev, the title also strengthens his hopes of returning to the ATP Finals in Turin after missing last year’s tournament. He will now head to Beijing for the China Open, where he is scheduled to face Pablo Carreno Busta.
