An early final, a rematch of a long series of matches that have almost become a classic on the ATP circuit: Jannik Sinner vs. Daniil Medvedev is the key match of the US Open quarterfinals.
The two champions arrive here on the momentum of good matches during the night: the Italian overcame the home favourite Tommy Paul (n. 14 ATP) by 7-6, 7-6, 6-1; the Russian prevailed over the Portuguese Nuno Borges (n. 34 ATP) with a resounding 6-0, 6-1, 6-3.
In the US tournament, only four “top 10” players out of eight who are fighting for access to the semifinals are left in the competition. And two of them, the number 1 ATP Sinner and the number 5 Medvedev, face each other immediately. Whoever wins, therefore, will be favored to win the final of the last Grand Slam of the season. The stakes are really high but both have already faced such decisive matches.
So far Jannik and Daniil have faced each other 12 times in their careers: the score includes seven victories for the Russian, the first six in a row and the last in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2024. The Italian, however, reversed the trend last year, when he exploded and began the chase for the top of the ATP rankings. The most significant victory for the tennis player from Sesto Pusteria certainly remains the comeback in the final of the Australian Open at the beginning of the year. It was the consecration of the Italian and a fundamental stage in a sporting rivalry that began years earlier when at the ATP Finals 2021 in Turin the tennis player from Moscow deliberately yawned in the face of the young Italian after beating him.
Sinner is currently enjoying his victory over Tommy Paul and his access to the quarterfinals. “This result means a lot to me,” the world number 1 said in a press conference at Flushing Meadows, after his victory over the American. “I raised the level of my tennis when it was necessary,” he explained. Having started quietly in the wake of the doping scandal (“I don’t have high expectations for the US Open, I need time to find my tennis and get back to being happy on the court,” he said on the eve), Sinner grew match after match. “The start wasn’t the best but I managed to stay focused,” he confirmed. “The key was to stay in the first set. I’m growing and even tonight, the first time in an evening match against an American, I saw positive things; I beat a very strong player who knows how to do everything, moves well, is solid and serves well.”
Medvedev is already focused on the challenge and is ready to fight: “In the previous American tournaments I hadn’t found my tennis but now everything has changed and I feel good”, explains the Russian. “With Sinner – he continues – we have almost always played very very tough matches, except for a couple. And I will try to think more about our challenge in Wimbledon, rather than the one in Melbourne… We know each other very well now and we try to understand what the other will do, but then in the end the decision always comes in the decisive moments: the break point, the set point… Without a doubt I am aware of the fact that if I want to beat him I will have to give my best”.
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