US OPEN: Daniil Medvedev Defeats Fellow Russian Andrey Rublev to reach the Semis

Daniil Medvedev defeated fellow Russian Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in scorching conditions Wednesday to reach his fourth US Open semi-final and set up a possible meeting with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

The third seed and 2021 champion Medvedev rallied from a break down in all three sets as he condemned a frustrated Rublev to a ninth straight Grand Slam quarter-final loss.

Medvedev will play Alcaraz or German 12th seed Alexander Zverev for a place in Sunday’s final after an energy-sapping duel against the eighth-ranked Rublev as the temperature hit 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) in New York.

“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.”

“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.”

The 27-year-old will face Carlos Alcaraz for a place in his fifth major final.

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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