DANIIL MEDVEDEV CLINCHES BRISBANE TITLE: FIRST TOP SEED TO WIN SINCE FEDERER
Daniil Medvedev warms up for the Australian Open with a 22nd career title, while Alexander Bublik makes a historic Top 10 debut.
Daniil Medvedev wrapped up a fantastic week at the Brisbane International, becoming the tournament’s first top seed to win the title since Roger Federer. He fought past Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 7-6(1), grabbing his 22nd ATP trophy at his 22nd different event. Medvedev only dropped serve once and finished with 24 winners and 23 unforced errors. Now, he joins an elite group—just the third active player with 20 or more hardcourt titles, after Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.
Lately, Medvedev’s found new energy with coaches Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke by his side. Johansson, you might remember, won the Australian Open back in 2002. Goetzke’s got his own track record, having coached Richard Krajicek to the Wimbledon title in 1996 and worked with Mario Ancic.
“Missing Turin last year gave me extra time to prepare with my new team, and honestly, it helped. I’m glad I started the year strong after that preparation,” Medvedev said.
He’s looked sharp to finish last season, making the quarters at six of his last seven tournaments, a bunch of semis, and picking up two more titles. “I’m happy with my game. When I’m playing well, there aren’t many guys who can beat me, if any,” he said.
Now, he’s aiming to carry that momentum into the Australian Open. He’s hungry to break a run of tough results at the majors—last year was the first time since 2017 that he didn’t win back-to-back matches at any Grand Slam.
“Last year wasn’t easy; it was a bit up and down, and changing my team made a difference. I’m happy with where I’m at,” he said. “I haven’t played a Slam with the new team yet. If I play like I did in Brisbane and lose early in Melbourne, I’ll be surprised.”
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, Alexander Bublik kicked off his season by winning the title and breaking into the world’s top 10 for the first time at 28. He upset top seed Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(2), 6-3, notching his fifth trophy since June and his ninth overall. Bublik blasted 34 winners, including 10 aces, and for the first time since the 2024 Dubai Open, he beat a top-10 player on an outdoor hardcourt.
“I have no words,” Bublik said. “Honestly, the only goal this season was to reach the top 10, and here I am, winning the title in week one.”
Musetti’s struggles in finals continue—Hong Kong is his seventh straight final loss since winning Naples in 2022. Bublik, on the other hand, has won eight of his last nine finals since June 2023.
“If you’d told me last April I’d be top 10, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Bublik said. “But standing here now, it feels great. I just want to keep it going.”
And just like Medvedev, Bublik was born in Russia but has played for Kazakhstan since 2016.
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
