BEIJING — Daniil Medvedev now leads the ATP Tour in hard-court wins in 2026 after extending his resurgent form at the China Open, beating Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(4), 6-3 in Beijing to reach the semi-finals and claim his 30th victory on the surface this season.
The former world No. 1 arrived in Beijing on a seven-match winning streak after capturing the Hangzhou Open and has continued that run at the China Open. The win over Cerundolo made Medvedev the first ATP player to reach 30 hard-court wins in 2026, a tally built on titles in Brisbane, Dubai and Hangzhou and a final appearance at Indian Wells. Alexander Zverev could have equalled the mark but was beaten by Novak Djokovic in another quarter-final in Beijing.
Behind Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe has 27 hard-court wins this year, followed by Carlos Alcaraz with 26 and Ben Shelton with 25. Alcaraz holds a significantly higher win percentage on the surface, having lost only three of his 29 hard-court matches in 2026. Djokovic has 11 hard-court wins this season, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner — still out with a knee injury after missing the entirety of both the North American and Asian swings — has 19.
Medvedev will chase his 31st hard-court win of the year against 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic in the semi-finals. It will be the 16th meeting in their rivalry, with Djokovic leading 10-5, and their first since the 2023 US Open final. The pair have contested three Grand Slam finals, including Medvedev's victory at the 2021 US Open that prevented Djokovic from completing the Calendar Slam and delivered Medvedev his lone major title to date. Djokovic has won five of the last six meetings, though he is now competing at 39 years old.
The semi-final also carries history at the China Open. Medvedev will bid to become the first player ever to beat Djokovic at the tournament and end Djokovic's 32-match unbeaten streak in Beijing.