Daniil Medvedev handed Novak Djokovic his first loss of the 2023 season to reach the final of the Dubai Open Tennis Championship.
The Russian got the better of the world no1 6-4,6-4 after an enthralling battle between the two.
In a contest where both the players put their early season win streaks on the line, something had to give and it was the Australian Open champion who blinked first.
Djokovic, who had looked back to his best after an opening-round trudge, looked error-prone once again and this time the quality of his opponent was enough to make him pay.
After going 2-5 down, the Serbian mounted another trademark comeback before Medvedev put an end to his resistance to take a one-set lead.
Medvedev then carried the momentum to lead 4-2 in the second set but faced some tough questions from Djokovic before peeling away at crucial moments to seal his 13th straight win.
His Dubai Open win is just the fifth time Medvedev has beaten Djokovic in 14 meetings.
The Russian will now meet his compatriot, Andrey Rublev in the final.
Rublev, the defending champion, reached the summit clash after a first-career victory over Alexander Zverev with the scores of 6-3 7-6(9), needing six match points to get the job done.
