ALMATY, Kazakhstan, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik battled past former champion Karen Khachanov in three sets on Friday to reach the semifinals of the ATP Almaty Open, keeping alive his hopes of becoming the first home player to win the tournament.
Third seed Bublik recovered from a set down to defeat fifth seed Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), firing 21 aces and winning two tiebreaks to set up a semifinal clash with defending champion Daniil Medvedev.
No Kazakh player has won the tournament since its inception in 2020, when it was held in Astana. The event moved to Almaty in 2024, with Russian players claiming both titles since then.
Bublik was playing his first match of the tournament after receiving a first-round bye and advancing through the second round without playing when Hungary's Fabian Marozsan withdrew because of illness.
Khachanov, who won the title in 2024, took the opening set after securing a late break, but Bublik held his nerve in the second-set tiebreak to force a decider. Neither player could establish a decisive advantage in the final set, which also went to a tiebreak, with Bublik prevailing to reach the last four.
Top seed Medvedev continued his title defense with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over France's Terence Atmane.
The Russian, who is seeking to successfully defend an ATP singles title for the first time in his career, won 31 of 34 points on his first serve and did not face a break point throughout the contest.
Medvedev has dominated his previous meetings with Bublik, although the Kazakh won their most recent encounter in the final of the Halle grass-court tournament in 2025.
In the other half of the draw, seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece defeated Australia's James Duckworth 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first hard-court semifinal since February 2025.
Tsitsipas controlled much of the contest against Duckworth, whose run in Almaty ended at the quarterfinal stage after he had reached the semifinals of last year's tournament.
The Greek will next face Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili, who continued his impressive run with a convincing 6-3, 6-1 victory over France's Adrian Mannarino.
Basilashvili, ranked 128th in the world, needed just 69 minutes to dispatch Mannarino and secure his place in the last four.
Saturday's semifinals will see Medvedev take on Bublik, while Tsitsipas faces Basilashvili, with the final scheduled for Sunday. ■
