INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Daniil Medvedev defeated Frances Tiafoe 7-5, 7-6 (4) on Saturday for his 19th consecutive match victory of the year and a berth in the BNP Paribas Open final.
Medvedev will play for the title Sunday against the winner of the other semifinal between top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz or No. 11 seed Jannik Sinner.
Medvedev, the fifth seed, has dominated Tiafoe, winning all five of their career meetings, including 12 of 13 sets in the process.
“In general, I played at a really great level, but if I didn’t win this match, I would have nightmares for a long time with all the opportunities I had,” Medvedev said in an on-court TV interview after the match. “Like six or seven match points and two times [I was] serving for the match. But I am happy to win. Now I can sleep well tonight and prepare for tomorrow.”
Medvedev’s winning streak dates to his title run in Rotterdam in February. He then won tournaments in Doha and Dubai. Now, the 2021 U.S. Open champion and former world No. 1 is in position to add another one.
Medvedev has proven resilient during the 12-day tournament in the Southern California desert. He overcame a badly twisted ankle and a cut thumb in two straight matches to power through to the final.
Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova won the women’s doubles title with a 6-1, 6-7 (3), 10-7 victory over Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil and Laura Siegemund of Germany.
The Czech duo improved to 11-0 this year, having won the Australian Open championship in January. They split $436,730 in prize money.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.