Daniil Medvedev maintained his perfect US Open quarter-final record on Wednesday when he moved past long-time friend Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals in New York for the fourth time.
Competing in 34-degree heat, both players struggled in the humid conditions. Medvedev received two medical timeouts due to the temperature, with both players spending large periods of the match bent over after lung-busting rallies on Arthur Ashe Stadium. While Rublev pushed Medvedev, the 27-year-old rallied to overcome the elements and Rublev in two hours and 48 minutes.
“It was brutal. The only good thing I see in these conditions is that both suffer,” Medvedev said. “It was tough for both of us. There were some ups and downs but that is so normal. At the end of the first set I sort of could not see the ball anymore. I played with sensations.”
Medvedev fell behind an early break in all three sets but quickly recovered to control the crucial moments on his terms. The third seed used his long leavers to retrieve Rublev’s thunderous groundstrokes, while he moved the World No. 8 from side to side, wearing down the 25-year-old in the heat to seal victory on his fifth match point.
“I tried to go for it, tried to run and he did the same,” Medvedev said. “Before points I was like, ‘Wow, he can’t run anymore’, so I tried to go and make him run and run and run, but he was there all the time. But we were tired all the time. Brutal conditions and super tough to win.”
Medvedev now holds a 6-2 Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Rublev, having also defeated the 25-year-old at the quarter-final stage in New York in 2020. The 27-year-old will face Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev for a place in his fifth major final.
If defending champion Alcaraz advances, it will be the first time since 2018 that three former winners are in the semi-finals. Three-time titlist Novak Djokovic faces Ben Shelton in the last four.
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Both players struggled on serve throughout the match, with 14 breaks matching the 14 holds of serve. However, despite finding it tough in 34-degree heat, Medvedev outlasted Rublev in a physically demanding match. After receiving a medical timeout at 4-3 in the second set due to the humidity, the third seed pushed on and rallied past Rublev with his trademark consistency.
The World No. 8 Rublev hammered the ball off both wings against Medvedev, but his unwillingness to move forward and close points at the net allowed Medvedev to find rhythm on Arthur Ashe Stadium, with his victory taking him to 28-5 at the event.
“I know he never gives up, but he knows I never give up,” Medvedev said. “In the third set, when he was up a break two or three times, I could not wait to go to the cold shower. Apparently when you go to the cold shower, when you come out, you either can’t move because your body locks, or you feel better but I was like, ‘I don’t care, I will just see what happens’. Luckily I did not need to do it, so I will go now.”
Medvedev is chasing his second Slam title after triumphing at Flushing Meadows in 2021. The 27-year-old qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals following his fourth-round win against Alex de Minaur.
Rublev’s wait for a first major semi-final goes on. The 14-time tour-level champion has fallen at the quarter-final stage nine times, with four coming in New York (2017, 20’, 22’, ’23).
Did You Know?
Medvedev has earned a tour-leading 37 hard-court wins this season, lifting four trophies on the surface.