Daniil Medvedev has won 24 titles, but he has never defended one. On Sunday he will have that chance. The top seed reached the final of the Almaty ATP 250, where he is the defending champion, when No. 3 seed Alexander Bublik retired after losing the first set 6-3 on Saturday.

Bublik had been visibly hampered by his right knee from the opening games, and his retirement ended the home favorite’s hopes of becoming the event’s first Kazakh champion.

Medvedev will face Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili in the final of the Almaty Open on Sunday. Basilashvili beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 earlier on Saturday. Medvedev beat him 6-2, 6-2 in their only previous meeting, in Vienna in 2022.

Within the first few minutes of the semifinal, it was clear that something was wrong. Bublik put effort into his serve but chased almost nothing down once Medvedev got a racket on the return. Medvedev broke on his second break point at 2-1, dropped only three points on his serve in the set and closed it out with a love hold. Bublik hobbled on the second-to-last point and retired at the end of the set.

For Medvedev, the challenge was keeping his concentration against an opponent who was barely competing. He gave nothing away and has now won seven straight matches in Almaty since winning the title last year, beating Corentin Moutet 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in the final. Earlier this week he beat Sho Shimabukuro of Japan 6-2, 6-1 and Terence Atmane of France 6-4, 6-4.

A chance at a first title defense

Medvedev reached the final in his fourth tournament in four weeks, after a semifinal run in Shanghai. It is the 45th final of his career and his fifth of the season, and he is chasing a fourth title in 2026 after Brisbane, Dubai and Hangzhou. He leads the tour with 36 hard-court wins this season, and the run strengthens his position in sixth place in the Race to Turin. He now leads Bublik 7-1 in their head-to-head.

Bublik, ranked No. 19, had come from a set down to beat No. 5 seed Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) in the quarterfinals, after reaching that round on a walkover when Fabian Marozsan of Hungary withdrew ill.

Almaty ATP 250, latest RESULTS

• Quarterfinals

D. Medvedev [1] d. T. Atmane: 6-4, 6-4
A. Bublik [3] d. K. Khachanov [5]: 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(5)
N. Basilashvili d. A. Mannarino: 6-3, 6-1
S. Tsitsipas [7] d. J. Duckworth: 6-3, 6-4

• Semifinals

D. Medvedev [1] vs A. Bublik [3]: 6-3, ret.
N. Basilashvili vs S. Tsitsipas [7]: 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3