Daniil Medvedev continued his strong run of form by defeating Daniel Merida 7-6(5), 6-1 in the first round of the Vienna Open on Wednesday, overcoming an early challenge to extend his winning streak to five matches.
The third seed arrived in Austria fresh from winning the Almaty Open, his fourth ATP Tour title of the 2026 season. However, his latest campaign did not get off to a smooth start, as Spain’s Merida made an aggressive opening and took a 4-1 lead in the first set.
Medvedev gradually found his rhythm and recovered the break to force a tie-break. The former world No. 1 then held his nerve to take the opening set before producing a more dominant display in the second, wrapping up the victory in 88 minutes.
The win also marked Medvedev’s 39th hard-court victory of the season, the most on the ATP Tour at the time. He will next face Cameron Norrie in the second round as he looks to continue his run at a tournament he won in 2022.
Medvedev admitted that adjusting to the playing conditions in Vienna had been challenging after competing in Almaty just days earlier. The change between courts and conditions left him needing time to adapt, but he was pleased to find a way through his opening match.
He explained that experience across different courts and surfaces had taught him the importance of adjusting his game rather than allowing the conditions to dictate his performance.
The victory also boosted Medvedev’s position in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, moving him above Flavio Cobolli into fifth place in the race for qualification to the ATP Finals. The Russian is aiming to return to the season-ending tournament for the seventh time, having previously made six consecutive appearances from 2019 to 2024.
Elsewhere in Vienna, Tallon Griekspoor also secured a hard-fought victory after winning the Brussels title on Sunday. The Dutchman defeated Brandon Nakashima 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(2) to set up a second-round meeting with top seed Alexander Zverev.
Zverev leads their ATP head-to-head record 9-3, although Griekspoor won their most recent encounter in Montreal in August. Zverev also has a significant ranking milestone in sight, as reaching the Vienna quarter-finals would guarantee him the world No. 1 ranking when the next ATP rankings are released.
With Medvedev carrying momentum from his latest title and continuing to climb the race standings, his performance in Vienna could prove important as the battle for places at the ATP Finals intensifies.