MEDVEDEV ENDS DJOKOVIC STRING
Daniil Medvedev ended Novak Djokovic’s 20-match winning streak by beating the world’s top-ranked player 6-4, 6-4 to reach the final at the Dubai Championships on Friday.
The third-seeded Medvedev will face defending champion Andrey Rublev in an all-Russian final that could have political overtones after Rublev reiterated his call for peace.
Medvedev picked up trophies in Rotterdam and Doha before coming to Dubai and beating Djokovic to extend his winning streak to 13 matches, the second longest of his career.
The former No. 1 player broke Djokovic twice in the first set and again to open the second, eventually closing it out on his first match point.
“When you play against Novak you just have to play your best, kind of hope that he doesn’t play his best,” Medvedev said. “I managed to play a higher level than him today. In the second set, I didn’t face one break point but there were so many 30-30, deuce (games). I managed to keep composed.”
Medvedev hadn’t beaten Djokovic since the 2021 U.S. Open final for his first — and only — major title. That win denied Djokovic the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men’s singles since 1969. Djokovic then won their next four meetings.
Djokovic was competing in his first event since winning the Australian Open for his record-equaling 22nd Grand Slam singles title. He hadn’t lost since November when he dropped the Paris Masters final to Holger Rune.
Earlier, Rublev advanced by beating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (9) in the other semifinal. The sixthranked Rublev saved a set point in the second-set tiebreaker.
Rublev has beaten Medvedev the last two times they squared off, including at the ATP Finals last November.
More tennis
Katie Volynets reached her first WTA semifinal by taking big leads in each set and holding off reigning NCAA singles champion Peyton Stearns to win 7-5, 6-3 in a matchup between a pair of 21-year-old Americans at the ATX Open in Austin, Texas.
Motorsports
Chase Elliott injured his leg in a snowboarding accident in Colorado and will miss this weekend’s NASCAR race at Las Vegas. Hendrick Motorsports said NASCAR’s most popular driver was scheduled to have surgery Friday evening. Josh Berry will drive the No. 9 Chevrolet on Sunday in place of Elliott.
• Formula One’s governing body inspected Lewis Hamilton’s jewelry before the seven-time champion was cleared to practice
ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. Hamilton has clashed with governing body FIA over a jewelry ban enacted last year and indicated he had piercings that cannot be removed. He received an exception for his nose stud.
Locally
Georg Mandma and Bora Sengul of SDSU eliminated the independent team of Scott Lippitt and Trent Miller 4-1, 4-2 to advance to the third round of the 134th annual Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.
• Josiah Slavin scored 15 seconds into overtime to give the San Diego Gulls a 3-2 AHL road win against the Tucson Roadrunners.
• In a rematch of last year’s CCAA Tournament semifinal, the second-seeded Cal State San Marcos men’s basketball team (19-9) earned a 104-96 win over sixth-seeded Chico State (1316) at Turlock to move on to the tournament’s championship game for the second consecutive season.
In baseball, San Diego State (3-5, 1-0), behind a 15hit attack, opened Mountain West play with an 8-5 win at UNLV. TJ Fondtain pitched 52⁄3 innings of four-hit ball for the victory. The University of San Diego (5-3-1) dropped its second straight at Oregon when the Ducks (6-3) pushed across a run in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 win.
In softball, No. 5 Cal State San Marcos (12-3, 9-1 CCAA) recorded a doubleheader sweep over visiting Chico State (7-7, 2-4) by scores of 2-1 and 5-3. UC San Diego (7-10) dropped the opening game of the threeseries weekend matchup vs. Boston College (9-7) 6-0. Sarah Lehman and Allie Light combined on a one-hit shutout to give San Diego State a 5-0 win over Long Beach State on the first day of the San Diego Classic at SDSU Softball Stadium. The Aztecs (11-6) fell to USD 4-0 in the nightcap.
Skiing
Mikaela Shiffrin’s hunt for a record-tying 86th career victory was extended for at least another day. The American skier’s quest for a fifth overall World Cup title, too. Shiffrin finished in fourth place in a super-G at Kvitfjell, Norway, that was won by Cornelia Huetter, who finally gave the Austrian women’s team its first victory of the season.
Soccer
The Washington Spirit signed 15-year-old Chloe Ricketts, making her the youngest player to sign with a National Women’s Soccer League team. Ricketts signed a three-year contract with an option for the fourth year under the league’s new under-19 entry rule, the Spirit announced.