ALMATY, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Top seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev eased into the quarterfinals of the 2026 Almaty Open with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory over Japan's Sho Shimabukuro on Thursday, while home favorite Alexander Bublik advanced without taking to the court.
Medvedev, who received a first-round bye, needed little time to overcome the world No. 109, firing seven aces and winning more than 80 percent of points on his first serve to secure his place in the last eight of the ATP 250 tournament.
The Russian is seeking his second consecutive Almaty Open crown after defeating France's Corentin Moutet in three sets in last year's final. He has already claimed three ATP titles in 2026, winning in Brisbane, Dubai and Hangzhou, and arrived in Kazakhstan following a semifinal appearance at the Shanghai Masters.
Medvedev will next face France's Terence Atmane, who battled past Italy's Mattia Bellucci 6-7(4), 7-6(2), 7-6(5) in a contest featuring three tiebreaks. Atmane recovered from losing the opening set to prevail in two closely fought tiebreaks and secure his quarterfinal berth.
Meanwhile, third seed Bublik progressed to the quarterfinals after Hungary's Fabian Marozsan withdrew because of illness. The highest-ranked Kazakh player in the draw had received a first-round bye and will make his first appearance of the tournament on Friday.
Bublik will face fifth seed Karen Khachanov, who survived a stern challenge from the Czech Republic's Tomas Machac to win 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(7).
Khachanov, the 2024 Almaty Open champion, took the opening set before Machac fought back to force a decider. The Russian eventually prevailed in a tense final-set tiebreak to keep alive his hopes of reclaiming the title.
The other two quarterfinals were decided Wednesday. Seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece will face Australia's James Duckworth, who upset second seed Luciano Darderi of Italy, while French veteran Adrian Mannarino takes on Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Mannarino eliminated fourth seed Andrey Rublev in three sets, while Basilashvili defeated Argentina's Facundo Diaz Acosta in straight sets.
Friday's quarterfinals will determine the semifinal lineup, with the possibility of a meeting between Medvedev and Bublik in the last four. ■
