Dubai: World No. 25 Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands advanced to the final of the 34th edition of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (ATP 500), setting up a clash with Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the title match.

Griekspoor secured his place after defeating Russia’s Andrey Rublev, world No. 18 and the 2022 champion, in straight sets, 7-5, 7-6, in a semi-final lasting one hour and 45 minutes on Friday evening.

The victory marked Griekspoor’s first win over Rublev following three previous defeats and made him the first Dutch player to reach the Dubai final in the tournament’s history.

In the other semi-final, Medvedev, ranked 11th in the world and seeded third in the tournament, advanced with a straight-sets victory over Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, the top seed and world No. 8, 6-4, 6-2, in one hour and 24 minutes.

Medvedev, who won the Dubai title in 2023, is aiming to lift the trophy for a second time. A victory would mark the first successful title defence of his career, as his 22 previous titles have come at 22 different tournaments, with none retained.

Griekspoor had eliminated Medvedev in the quarter-finals of last year’s edition in three sets, adding a revenge subplot to the upcoming final between the two players.