Daniil Medvedev books US Open clash with ‘godfather’ Andrey Rublev
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Daniil Medvedev after his match against Alex de Minaur of Australia on day eight at the US Open, on Sept 4.
PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW YORK – Daniil Medvedev is putting friendship aside when he takes on Russian compatriot Andrey Rublev in the US Open quarter-finals, after defeating Australian 13th seed Alex de Minaur in four sets on Monday.
The third seed fought back from a set down to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 as he bids to add a second Flushing Meadows crown to his maiden Grand Slam title in New York in 2021.
“The conditions were some of the most brutal we’ve ever played,” Medvedev said, of the hot and humid conditions in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“There was one moment where I thought I’m not going to be able to play until the end, it’s so tough.
“But I looked across the net and noticed he was slowing down too, so I thought okay, I can do this.”
The 27-year-old Medvedev, a winner of four hard-court titles this season, is through to the last eight of the US Open for the fourth time in five years.
He beat Rublev in straight sets at the same stage of the tournament in 2020 and holds a 5-2 record over his friend, who is the godfather of his daughter Alisa, born in October 2022.
“We’re really close friends,” said Medvedev.
“Even if on the court, we’re big competitors... I think nothing is going to come between us to separate us in real life.
“We’re really close. I mean, we share a lot of... let’s call it interests and stuff like this.
“It’s great to have someone like this on tour because sometimes it can be not easy.
“You travel, travel, travel. To have a friend like this is great.”
Despite their close bond, Medvedev is eager to once more thwart Rublev, who lost in each of his past eight Grand Slam quarter-final appearances.
“But again, on the court, we both want to win. We are not going to be friends in two days,” he added.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain is also through to the last eight of the year’s final Grand Slam after he eased past Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
Through the first week of the tournament, the world No. 1 has been putting in routine shifts and dropped only one set en route to the quarter-finals.
However, the second week is the business end of a Grand Slam, when the draw has thinned out and the serious contenders surface.
In Alcaraz’s rear-view mirror are relative unknowns, like Arnaldi and Dominik Koepfer, but further ahead lurk familiar danger men such as Medvedev and Rublev.
He will next face 12th seed Alexander Zverev after the German outlasted Jannik Sinner of Italy 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
“I think the intensity, from the beginning until the last ball, I played a really solid match, less mistakes,” Alcaraz said, after Monday’s brisk victory.
“I’m really happy with the performance in general.”
AFP, REUTERS
