DUBAI (AFP) - Daniil Medvedev handed Novak Djokovic his first defeat of the year, beating the world number one 6-4 6-4 to reach the Dubai Tennis Championships final where he plays holder Andrey Rublev for a third title in as many weeks.
In a contest where the players put their early season win streaks on the line, it was Rotterdam and Doha champion Medvedev who drew first blood by breaking an error-prone Djokovic twice and closed out the first set with a searing forehand.
Playing in his first tournament since winning the Adelaide and Australian Open titles, Djokovic has hardly put a foot wrong barring a small scare in his opener against Tomas Machac.
The 35-year-old had his moments and looked the better player after going down 2-5 in the opening set but he dropped his serve again early in the second after hitting a return long.
It was the opening Medvedev could have only dreamed of in his bid to claim a fifth win over Djokovic in 14 matches and the Russian pounced for a 4-2 lead after some high-octane tennis.
Former US Open champion Medvedev peeled away further with an ace for a crucial hold and sealed a 13th straight win in his next service game.
Earlier, Russian Rublev reached the final with a first career victory against Alexander Zverev, closing out a 6-3 7-6(9) win on his sixth matchpoint.