Daniil Medvedev sends a clear message to Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Carlos Alcaraz

Seven months after his last ATP-tour title, Daniil Medvedev triumphed on his favorite surface, hard court, at the Hangzhou tournament, a 250-point event in which the Russian defeated his compatriot Andrey Rublev 2-0 in the final. Medvedev won 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and thirty-five minutes.

Medvedev’s victory sends a message—not even all that subtle—to Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Carlos Alcaraz, in strict order of ranking: the 1996-born player also wants to be a key player in the season finale, which still includes two Masters 1000 tournaments—those in Shanghai and Paris—and the ATP Finals, for which he aims to qualify by solidifying his position in the Race to Turin.

In Hangzhou, Medvedev won his 24th title on the main tour, his 22nd on hard courts. He has won on a different surface on only two other occasions: in Mallorca in 2021, on grass, defeating Sam Querrey 6-4, 6-2 Sam Querrey in the final, and at the 2023 Italian Open in Rome, defeating Holger Rune in the final with a 7-5, 7-5 victory.

As for 2026, this marks his third tournament victory of the year: Medvedev began the season by winning the Brisbane tournament in January, defeating Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 7-6(1), while in late February he won the Dubai tournament without breaking a sweat, as his opponent in the final, the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, was forced to withdraw due to injury.

As for head-to-head matchups with this year’s top three players, Medvedev has faced Sinner once, in the semifinals in Rome, losing 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. Previously, he defeated Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells—also in the semifinals—6-3, 7-6(3), while he has not faced Alexander Zverev in 2026; he last played him in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Paris Masters 1000, losing 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5).