Djokovic and Medvedev set up Kazakh blockbuster

Novak Djokovic will meet Daniil Medvedev in the last four of the Astana Open after both men produced impressive performances in winning their quarterfinal matches on Friday.

Fourth seed Djokovic continued his strong recent form by powering past Russia’s Karen Khachanov, 6-4 6-3, with the Serb pursuing a fourth title of the season and a landmark 90th of his career.

Medvedev set up a mouthwatering showdown with the 21-time Grand Slam winner by blasting past Roberto Bautista Agut in equally impressive fashion in their quarterfinal at the ATP 500 indoor hard-court event.

Seeded second in Astana, Medvedev needed just over one hour to blitz his Spanish rival 6-1 6-1, as the 26-year-old Russian pursues a second title of 2022.

Djokovic, 35, has faced Medvedev on ten previous occasions, with the Serb boasting the upper hand with six wins.

The last time the pair met was in the final of the 2021 ATP Paris Masters 1000, when Djokovic won a three-set tussle.

Medvedev was toppled from his world number one ranking following a disappointing fourth-round exit at the US Open last month, but has stated his intent to finish the season strongly. 

Elsewhere in Astana, Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev booked his place in the semifinals after a routine victory over unseeded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in their match earlier on Friday.

Rublev next meets Greek third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who bested Polish number seven seed Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets.

The semifinals will be played on Saturday before the tournament final on Sunday in the Kazakh capital.

The winner of the men’s singles will take home just over $355,000, with the runner-up pocketing around $190,000.