The China Open quarterfinal between Daniil Medvedev and Francisco Cerundolo ended with the Russian winning 7-6, 6-3. According to api.tennis, this match extended Medvedev's winning streak to seven matches in a row: four in Hangzhou and three in Beijing before the semifinal. The main number from the Beijing stretch: 6-0 in sets across three matches before meeting Djokovic.
The match with Cerundolo. It was decided in the first set
Cerundolo proved to be Medvedev's toughest opponent in the Beijing run. Pablo Carreno Busta (6-4, 6-2) and Jan Lennard Struff (6-4, 6-3) did not take a single set to 7-6. Against Cerundolo, the first set went to a tiebreak, which Medvedev won. The second set, 6-3, was much more comfortable.
Tiebreaks. An uneven balance
Over Medvedev's last 12 matches in the api.tennis database, five sets finished 7-6 or 6-7. The Russian won two of them: against Valentin Royer in Hangzhou and against Cerundolo in Beijing. He lost three: a set against Coleman Wong in Hangzhou and two sets against Frances Tiafoe in the round of 16 at the US Open (6-7, 4-6, 6-7). The tiebreak against Cerundolo came during a part of the season when such endings had gone Medvedev's way.
Form before Beijing and after
Medvedev's 2026 season record according to api.tennis: 43 wins and 17 losses, one title and two finals. Five quarterfinal wins this season, including the one over Cerundolo in Beijing. According to rank.tennis, he is currently sixth in the ATP rankings with 3860 points, and seventh in the live rankings with 3460 points.
The quarterfinal against Cerundolo was Medvedev's seventh straight victory and the most hard-fought match of the Beijing week before the semifinal: it was the only one in which the Russian had to win a tiebreak. The streak ended against Djokovic, and the semifinal itself finished before the second set was completed.