This Beijing run stands out as one of Daniil Medvedev’s most encouraging and progressive campaigns of 2025, a season otherwise filled with disappointing and damaging results. His struggles reached the point of ending an eight-year partnership with coach Gilles Cervara and even put his long-held top-20 status, intact since 2018, under genuine threat.
It’s not just Medvedev’s tennis that has shown a clear uptick in Beijing, but also his mindset and attitude. He displayed unusual calm and commitment by staying on court to practice for nearly 30 minutes after his opening-round win. During the matches, he has handled two solid opponents with authority, defeating Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 6-3 in convincing fashion.
This will be Medvedev’s third quarterfinal appearance in Beijing in as many visits, and he holds a perfect 2-0 record at this stage of the event. He defeated Ugo Humbert on his way to the final in 2023 and beat Flavio Cobolli before falling in the semifinals last year.
Alexander Zverev’s second-round performance was far from flawless, but he displayed grit and determination to grind out a three-set win over a resurgent Corentin Moutet. The Frenchman had recovered from a set deficit and even went up a break in the decider before Zverev eventually prevailed 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
Zverev has also had an underwhelming and disappointing 2025 season, though it has been more successful compared to his rival Daniil Medvedev’s struggles. He has consistently reached quarterfinals over the past nine months, holding a 6-4 record at this stage in 2025, and has remained inside the ATP top three throughout the year.
He is also more experienced and successful in Beijing compared to his opponent Medvedev, having reached at least the quarterfinals in four of his previous five main-draw appearances at this event. Zverev won three of those four quarterfinals, with his only defeat coming against David Ferrer in three sets back in 2016.
Head-to-head: Daniil Medvedev leads 14-7, including exhibitions. The decline in Medvedev’s confidence over the last two seasons has been evident in big matches, yet he continues to hold a psychological edge over Alexander Zverev. He has won only one of his last seven encounters against top-5 players, which came against Zverev in Halle this year, and is currently on a four-match winning streak in this matchup.
From Zverev’s perspective, he has endured significant frustration and disappointment against Medvedev, often losing tight battles under varying conditions. If he is ever going to close the gap in their head-to-head rivalry, he needs to fully capitalize on this phase when Medvedev is lacking confidence and belief. Whether the German can overcome these mental hurdles, however, remains to be seen.