Almaty Open: Moutet completes final four, Cobolli stunned, Medvedev finding his feet again
Corentin Moutet defeated Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-5 on Friday
Corentin Moutet, Almaty 2025 | © ATP / Almaty Open
Frenchman Corentin Moutet became the final player to book his spot in the semifinals of the Almaty Open on Friday, joining a rejuvenated Daniil Medvedev, rising American Alex Michelsen, and surprise package James Duckworth in the last four of the ATP 250 event.
Moutet, the No. 8 seed, kept his composure in a tight two-set battle to defeat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-5, closing out the final quarterfinal match under the lights at Almaty Arena. The French left-hander is through to his fourth ATP semifinal of the season, the second in four matches after Hangzhou.
The 25-year-old had opened his week with a convincing win over Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko, before edging a tense second-round encounter against Australian veteran Bernard Tomic in two tight sets. Moutet, ranked No. 41, will now face No. 6 seed Alex Michelsen for a place in the final.
Cobolli defeated
The biggest surprise of the day came earlier, when Italian No. 3 seed Flavio Cobolli suffered a straight-sets defeat at the hands of qualifier James Duckworth, going down 6-3, 6-2 in just over an hour.
Cobolli, who had arrived in Almaty looking to solidify his place inside the ATP Top 40, was never allowed to find rhythm against a sharp Duckworth. The Australian, ranked outside the Top 100, has now won five matches in a row in Kazakhstan, including two in qualifying.
“I felt great from the start,” Duckworth said. “It’s one of those days where everything clicked. I had a clear plan and managed to execute.”
Medvedev’s quiet resurgence
Elsewhere, Daniil Medvedev continued his quiet resurgence, beating Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 7-5, 6-2 to reach just his third semifinal in a row. The seed No.2, who has struggled for consistency over the year, looked sharper from the baseline and moved with greater purpose throughout the contest.
“This was a good match for me,” Medvedev said in press. “I served well, stayed calm, and made fewer mistakes than before. I’m happy to be winning matches again.”
In another quarterfinal, 20-year-old Alex Michelsen overcame Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. The American had lost five straight matches entering Almaty, but now finds himself just one win away from his first ATP final. “It’s been a tough few months, but I’ve been working hard to turn it around,” Michelsen said. “This win meant a lot.”
Saturday’s semifinals will see Medvedev take on Duckworth, while Moutet faces Michelsen in a clash of creative flair versus raw power.
dia blurbs to go with this.
Almaty ATP 250, other quarter-finals results (Almaty Arena, hard, USD 1.055.255, most recent results first):
- Alex Michelsen beat Shintaro Mochizuki: 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
- Daniil Medvedev (2) beat Fabian Marozsan: 7-5, 6-2
- James Duckworth (Q) beat Flavio Cobolli (3): 6-3, 6-2
- Corentin Moutet (8) beat Jen-Lennart Struff : 6-4, 7-5
