Photo credit: Christopher Pike/Getty
An ornery Daniil Medvedev couldn’t find the finishing note in Dubai.
A defiant Tallon Griekspoor showed closing power continuing his wild ride in the desert.
Medvedev Rips Ump: Double Standard!
Griekspoor fought off four match points in the second set stunning the top-seeded Medvedev 2-6, 7-6(7), 7-5 to fight into his first Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships semifinal.
“I think he started playing better at some moments,” Medvedev told the media in Dubai. “Either way, he got lucky with some shots. When I say lucky he also went for it so he deserved it.
“I didn’t really get tight. I played good shots at good moments and he made it happen for him today, which is unfortunate.
"I feel like this year I can’t remember one match where I should have lost and kind of won the match. But I do have three where I could have won but it didn’t turn my way. But that’s okay the year is long and there are matches that are gonna turn my way.”
It is the fourth Top 10 win for Griekspoor, who will face either former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini or Stefanos Tsitsipas for a spot in the final.
“Super happy with this win,” Griekspoor said. “I had to fight off a couple of match points in the second set. Daniil is an unbelievable player, an unbelievable competitor. He’s been on top of the rankings for so man years, so I’m very pleased with this win.”
The upset of the last former champion in the field means there will be a new Dubai champion crowned this weekend.
Playing attacking tennis, Griekspoor took down the 2023 Dubai champion breaking in a dramatic and pressured packed 12th game that saw Medvedev deny three match points before netting a smash to face a fourth match point.
A raging Medvedev unleashed on chair umpire Adel Nour after dropping the second-set tiebreaker. The chair umpire hit a venting Medvedev with a code violation prompting the mercurial Medvedev to unload.
"What did I say?" Medvedev said standing up from his seat. "What is this a double standard against Russians?
"A double standard?"
Medvedev wisely left the court for a bathroom break to cool down after the second-set eruption.
World No. 47 Griekspoor has shown serene poise under pressure this week. Griekspoor saved three match points in his opening-round win over Roman Safiullin and relied on steely spine—and a soft net—to fend off four match points today leaving a raging Medvedev flinging his Tecnifibre racquet to court after his final backhand sailed beyond the baseline.
You can understand Medvedev’s frustration. He was well on his way to his third straight Dubai semifinal, ending a year-long finals drought and move closer to his first title since he won the 2023 Rome on red clay.
Instead, a gutted Medvedev trudged off the court trying to make sense of a bitter loss. Medvedev tripled Griekspoor’s ace output—15 to 5—earned seven more break points and won nine more total points (115 to 106) yet still came up short against an unrelenting Griekspoor.
No matter how many times Medvedev passed him, Griekspoor kept coming forward pressuring the former No. 1 into tough passes.
“I thought he played so well in the first,” Griekspor said. “I didn’t do bad, like he was just way too good in the first set. I just tried to stick with it. Even though I went a break down in the second. I felt when I broke him back the momentum went a little my way.
“I was a little bit lucky on the match points down, I was a little bit lucky in the tiebreak and also in the end needed a couple of match points to finish this one off.”
Serving at 4-5, 15-40, Griekspoor staved off double match point with calm aggression.
Continuing to strike corner-to-corner, Medvedev gained two more match points with Griekspoor serving at 5-6.
Credit Griekspoor with gutsy volleying as he denied a third match point with a backhand volley and punched a high forehand volley to save match point No. 4. A fine drop volley winner helped Griekspoor hold to force the second-set tiebreaker.
The top seed saved a set point at 5-6 in the tiebreaker rapping a running forehand. Medvedev conjured a lob winner to rub out a second set point and level at 7-7. A slice serve brought Griekspoor a third set point and this time he closed the second set when Medvedev’s forehand went wide.
Medvedev knocked off a couple of aces stamping a love hold to level the final set at 4-all.
The 12th game escalated into a tense tug of war that saw Medvedev fend off three match points including winning a 20-shot rally to fight off match point No. 3.
As the game waged on past 10 minutes, Griekspoor lofted a tricky lob inducing a netted smash for a fourth match point. When Medvedev missed one final backhand a two-hour 35-minute match was over.