Under sweltering conditions reminiscent of a hot plate, third seed Daniil Medvedev surged into the US Open semi-finals with a victory over his compatriot Andrey Rublev. The brutal heat of the day, which Medvedev described as almost lethal to a player, left both Russians battling not just opponent, but also the environment. Claiming victory at 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, Medvedev is slated to face off against Carlos Alcaraz next.
In spite of the oppressive heat that seemed to constrict his breathing, Medvedev appeared unyielding during the course of the match. Carlos Alcaraz, triumphing against Alexander Zverev at 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, awaits the Russian next. The twenty-year-old Spaniard confidently dismissed five break points on his march to victory over the German 12th seed.
As the heatwave continues its relentless grip on New York, the men’s semi-finals are set to commence at Flushing Meadows on Friday. Novak Djokovic, Serbia’s second seed in pursuit of a record-tying 24th major title, will confront young American Ben Shelton in the opening match.
The Wednesday match, saw the athletes battling in the aggressive heat of around 35C, leaving both Medvedev and Rublev physically and emotionally sapped. However, Medvedev, having triumphed at the 2021 US Open, emerged victor after two hours and 48 minutes, likening the “brutal” playing conditions to that of the oppressively hot weather experienced during the Tokyo Olympics 2021.
In order to escape the searing heat, both Medvedev and Rublev sought respite with prolonged bathroom breaks, changing out of their sweat-soaked attire. The duo resorted to soaking themselves in cold water, making full use of ice towels and air conditioning units at their seats.
Following Medvedev’s triumph over his best friend Rublev, he critiqued the extreme conditions, but noted the dark silver lining in that such challenges affected both players equally. For Rublev, however, his aim of reaching a maiden semi-final remains unfulfilled. Despite breaking into the world’s top E10 in October 2020, Rublev has lost all nine Grand Slam quarter-finals he has competed in.
Despite the friends’ rivalry, Medvedev recognized Rublev’s resilience, knowing that his opponent would never surrender. With the conclusion in sight, and after four squandered match points on Rublev’s serve, Medvedev seized victory when Rublev errantly hammered a forehand into the net.
On the other end of the semi-finals, Alcaraz comes in off a solid performance against Zverev, albeit not his best, where he still managed to maintain quality and emerged largely unscathed. Despite questions surrounding Zverev’s physical condition following a humidly contested previous win, Alcaraz demonstrated superior form, breaking Zverev thrice in the second set.
Successfully taming the German despite suffering a hamstring injury, Alcaraz remains in contention for another face-off against Medvedev, whom he bested in the Wimbledon semi-finals in July. Confident and physically invigorated, Alcaraz marches towards his third major semi-final of the season.