Vienna Open: Daniil Medvedev battles into semi-finals with three-set win over Karen Khachanov

Daniil Medvedev beat Karen Khachanov 6-3 3-6 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Vienna Open to move a step closer to defending the title he won last year.

In the battle of the Russians in the Austrian capital, the world No. 3 Medvedev proved too strong for his compatriot, despite a second-set blip.

Khachanov, the No. 8 seed, imperiously defeated Roman Safiullin and Jiri Lehecka in his opening rounds, but once paired up with an opponent that could nullify his power with quick movement and deft touches, it felt there was only going to be one winner.

The second set was a different story. Medvedev, in control of proceedings, decided to go for a 220km/h serve on Khachanov’s first break point of the match, but missed the target and gave his opponent a crucial break.

Normal service was resumed, however, in the decider, as Medvedev raced into a 3-0 lead to seize back the momentum, seeing out the victory in style to record his 63rd win of the year, tying with Carlos Alcaraz, and making his 11th semi-final of the season in the process.

“I’ve had an amazing season,” Medvedev said. “If I had played a bit better in the Grand Slams, [maybe] I would have won one. Then it would’ve been by far my best season.

“It’s a little bit tough to say because in one of [the previous] seasons, I won a Grand Slam, but if we don’t talk about Grand Slams then it’s by far my best season. It’s not finished yet, so I want to try and finish it even stronger.”

The No. 1 seed, who fought hard to get past Grigor Dimitrov in the last 16, will face either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Borna Gojo, the Croatian wildcard, in the last four.