Daniil Medvedev secured a place at the season-ending ATP Finals for the seventh time after overwhelming Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3 to reach the Vienna Open semi-finals on Friday 30 October.
The 30-year-old Russian, who missed out on the season finale last year after qualifying every year from 2019 to 2024, joined Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton in the eight-man field. Jannik Sinner has also qualified but will not compete due to injury, leaving four places still available.
How the match was won
Medvedev took control early against Mannarino with a break of serve and eased through the opening set. The former US Open champion broke again at 3-3 in the second set and closed out the match with another break, Reuters reported.
The win, against the world number 73, was closed out on Medvedev’s second match point on Mannarino’s serve, according to Agence France-Presse reporting.
A resurgent season rewarded
Medvedev, the world number five, has enjoyed a resurgent season in which he has surpassed the 50-win mark for the first time since 2023 and claimed four titles, Reuters reported. Since his elimination in the round of 16 at the US Open in early September, he has won tournaments in Hangzhou and Almaty and reached the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters 1000 and the Beijing ATP 500, according to AFP reporting.
The Vienna result therefore rewards a season of rebuilding rather than a single week of form. Missing the Finals last year broke a run of qualifications stretching back to 2019; this win restores him to the field at the first opportunity.
What comes next in Vienna — and Turin
Standing between Medvedev and the Vienna final is seven-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, who defeated Tommy Paul 6-4, 7-6(2) to reach the semi-finals. The winner of that semi-final will play for the Vienna ATP 500 title.
Beyond Vienna, the season-ending ATP Finals will run from 15 to 22 November in Turin, where Medvedev will now join Zverev, Alcaraz and Shelton, with Sinner qualified but absent through injury and four places still to be decided.
Zverev, meanwhile, will become world number one in the next ATP rankings on Monday, according to AFP reporting, after thumping Britain’s Arthur Fery 6-0, 6-2 in 58 minutes to reach the Vienna semi-finals. He will face either Italy’s Matteo Berrettini or Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur.
Related coverage: Alexander Zverev Secures World No. 1 Ranking With Vienna Win Over Griekspoor
Why it matters
The ATP Finals gather only the season’s eight best performers, so qualification is a season-long verdict rather than a weekly prize. For Medvedev, a seventh qualification — after a year out of the field — confirms that his resurgence is real, and sets up a semi-final against Alcaraz that doubles as a preview of the Turin field.
Sources
- Reuters: Medvedev clinches ATP Finals berth by reaching Vienna semi-finals
- Free Malaysia Today (AFP): Medvedev into Vienna semis, books ATP Finals place
- Sky Sports: Vienna Open: Alexander Zverev repeats Wimbledon victory over Arthur Fery as he progresses to semi-finals
FAQ
How did Medvedev qualify for the ATP Finals? By beating Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3 in the Vienna Open quarter-finals on 30 October, reaching the semi-finals and sealing a Finals place.
How many times has he qualified? This is his seventh qualification. He qualified every year from 2019 to 2024 but missed out last year.
Who else is in the field so far? Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton, plus Jannik Sinner, who has qualified but will not compete due to injury. Four places remain.
Who does Medvedev play next? Carlos Alcaraz, in the Vienna semi-finals.
When and where are the ATP Finals? 15–22 November in Turin.
