Top seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev has set a blockbuster fourth-round US Open showdown with red-hot Australian Nick Kyrgios after defeating China’s Wu Yibing in the early hours of Saturday morning at Flushing Meadows.

Beginning the match close to 11pm after Serena William’s pulsating three-hour final match against Ajla Tomljanovic inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, Medvedev dismissed Wu 6-4 6-2 6-2 to reach the second week for the fourth consecutive year.

Asked what it was like to watch Williams’ farewell performance while waiting to take the court, Medvedev said, “It was a crazy match, close to three hours. It was definitely a pity she lost, but if that’s the last match of her career it was an amazing match and she was close to winning. But Ajla played a great level and congrats to her.”

After Medvedev won a 35-shot rally – the longest of the tournament – to avoid dropping serve in the final game of the second set, the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion raced to the finish line, closing out the match in one hour, 55 minutes.

Medvedev will put his World No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking on the line against Kyrgios, who defeated the 26-year-old last month at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal, where he extended his ATP Head2Head lead over Medvedev to 3-1. The 2021 US Open champion currently finds himself behind Rafael Nadal in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and will surrender his No. 1 crown after the tournament if he falls to Kyrgios.

“We’ve played great matches. I think all have been quite tight on the scoreboard,” Medvedev said. “It’s 3-1 to him but I will try to do better this time and it will be a great match for people to watch.

“Tonight I feel like I played at a quite high level and I was serving a little better than him, which was the key. There were a lot of tight games and I felt the level of the match was high.”

Attempting to become the first player to win back-to-back US Opens since Roger Federer won five straight between 2004-08, Medvedev has advanced to the fourth round without dropping a set in the first week. He is also seeking his third appearance in the final at Flushing Meadows, having pushed Nadal to five sets in the 2019 title match.

Medvedev has spent a total of 16 weeks at World No. 1 since February.

Wu is the first Chinese man in the history of the tournament (since 1881) to reach the third round. He has moved to a career-high No. 129 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as he continues his battle with countryman Zhang Zhizhen (120) to become the first Chinese man to crack the Top 100.

Perhaps only Nick Kyrgios can be showman and business-like at the same time.

The electrifying Aussie charged into the fourth round of the US Open Friday night with plenty of flair and exaggerated celebrations, but with far fewer of his bad-boy antics during a largely focussed 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win over American J. J. Wolf.

The Wimbledon finalist could next meet World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in a blockbuster match Sunday as he attempts to reach the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows for the first time.

The 23rd seed fended off all seven break points he faced, including three at 0/40 in his opening service game of the third set, needing one hour, 54 minutes to sail to victory in front of raucous fans on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

“It was a very tough match for me,” Kyrgios said. “I knew J.J. is a home crowd favourite, I knew I had to be on my guns today and serve well. I’m just really happy to move forward.

“I’m really excited to play Medvedev if he wins,” Kyrgios said in his on-court interview while the World No. 1 was in the first set of his match with Wu Yibing.

Three-weeks ago, Kyrgios extended his ATP Head2Head series lead to 3-1 against Medvedev, after pulling off an upset at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal, Canada.

Both Kyrgios and Wolf entertained the crowd Friday as they engaged in a tug-of-war contest from the baseline, including several passing shots that raised fans to their feet. The Australian struck 21 aces en route to victory, often painting the lines and hitting his targets at ease.

Kyrgios, who improves to 34-9 this season and is 13-2 since his maiden Grand Slam final at the All England Club, has already moved up three places this week to No. 22 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. Should he advance to the quarter-finals, the 27-year-old would return to the Top 20 for the first time since February 2020.

The Canberra native is inching closer towards regaining his status as the Australian No. 1, a mark that Alex de Minaur currently holds as No. 19 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

“I’m doing it (winning) for my team as well, we’ve all been away from home for a while. I’m just playing for a lot of people back home,” Kyrgios said.

Wolf, who upset 16th seed Roberto Bautista Agut on day one, equalled his career-best Grand Slam result by reaching the third round this week in New York.

Kyrgios conquered the third round at the season’s final Slam for the first time in five tries Friday night. He will next face the winner of Medvedev and Wu Sunday.

“At the US Open, this is the furthest I’ve ever gone, so it’s a special year for me already, hopefully I can keep it going” Kyrgios said.

The tennis world is remembering longtime ATP chair umpire and tournament supervisor Paulo Pereira, who passed away earlier this month.

After 32 years with the ATP, including 2,540 professional matches officiated and more than 360 tournaments supervised, the Brazilian stepped down from his position as supervisor in 2013 but remained involved in the sport.

“I do not want to stop working with sports, mainly tennis, but I’m looking for new challenges, because to stop would be to leave behind a piece of myself with each passing year,” Pereira said at the time. “I want to stay active, looking for opportunities to help others with everything I have learned in all my years on the Tour.”

Internationally known and highly regarded for his work on behalf of the sport of tennis, he was a popular figure in his travels and considered the strong relationships he developed the most meaningful aspect of his tenure.

“Throughout my time with ATP, I’ve made many friends, among them my colleagues, tournament directors, players and coaches, and this means more to me than any other accomplishments that I have attained from the sport,” he added.

A supervisor for 15 years from 1998-2013, Pereira’s next chapter saw him serve as the Sao Paolo ATP 250 tournament director in 2014. He also held other roles in the Rules & Competition department after leaving his full-time post, including a role as a designation coordinator.

Pereira, who began a career in civil engineering prior to his work in tennis, said he was “permanently seduced” by the world of sport, which caused him to abandon that path in favour of a full-time commitment to tennis.

He is survived by his wife Marisa.

Pereira Remembered By ATP Friends & Colleagues

Carlos Bernardes, Longtime ATP umpire

Paulo was our mentor and a great friend. He was an inspiration to all of us. If we have many Brazilians, South American chair umpires, and line umpires working worldwide, we need to thank Paulo for that. I have many special memories of working with Paulo, but I will never forget how he was always there when any of us needed it. To congratulate or criticise, give some advice or even just listen. Paulo was always there. A great tennis official and an unforgettable friend. Rest in peace, my friend.”

Carlos Sanches, ATP Supervisor
“Paulo was not only a colleague for me but also one of my closest friends. He was also my mentor at the beginning of my career and I will never forget his very special sense of humour. He will be deeply missed.”

Laura Wawrin, Senior Manager, Rules & Competition
“Paulo touched my life in all the best ways. I am forever grateful to have had him as a true friend and mentor. I will miss him dearly.“ 

Ricardo Reis, Longtime tennis official
“Our trailblazer, our guide, our friend. An example of dedication, honesty and professionalism. We were very lucky to have him as our leader for so many years. On behalf of the South American officiating, we express our gratitude, our respect and admiration for his trajectory.”

The ATP Challenger Tour takes over the world-class facilities at Rafael Nadal’s tennis academy in Mallorca, Spain for one week to host the Rafa Nadal Open by Sotheby’s.

The tournament site is on an island of tennis paradise. The academy is home to 26 tennis courts (hard and clay), multiple pools, an on-site hotel, a full service restaurant, squash courts, padel courts, a state-of-the-art gym, physio rooms, and the Rafa Nadal Museum.

The tournament’s facilities stand out to Challenger Tour players, including Belgian Zizou Bergs, who is seeded fourth at this week’s tournament.

“It’s my second time here, at the Rafa Nadal Academy. Honestly, I would pay money to be here,” Bergs said. “I see tourists coming in and I’m thinking how special it is to stay here and compete. They are here to see the museum in the day and come to watch you play tennis in the evening. Seeing all the facilities they have, it’s a privilege to be here. I think a lot of players think this way too.”

Since the event began in 2018, Joan Suasi has been the tournament director. Though the work is hard, Suasi knows how vital hosting a Challenger at the Academy is.

“It’s the most important event of the academy,” Suasi said. “We put a lot of energy into it and are super happy to see that people are having such a good time.”

The week following the tournament, the annual and semester educational programs begin for players from 11 to 18-years-old. During the summer months, the academy holds a variety of summer camps. Despite the challenge of hosting the tournament during the first week of the US Open, Suasi claims it’s the perfect week for the academy.

“We have our annual school starting next week and we ended summer camps last week. Basically, we have this gap in between those weeks, which we use for our Challenger event. We need all the facilities to organise this event, including the hotel and the residences that we use to house staff. There’s a lot of people involved in the tournament so we need to be at full capacity.”

Some of the games’ best players have made their way to the Mallorca Challenger. In 2019, three-time major champion Andy Murray opted to play in his return from hip surgery. A large smile came across Suasi’s face as he recalled the day the former World No. 1 played in his backyard.

“I remember friends of mine were calling me the afternoon Andy was supposed to play, saying, ‘Is he really here? Is he really going to play the Challenger here?’”

Former World No. 7 Fernando Verdasco made his tournament debut last year, when he reached the quarter-finals. Carlos Alcaraz, Bernard Tomic, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and Pablo Andujar are among others that have paid a visit to the event.

Suasi takes pride in providing an enjoyable experience not just for the players, but also for the fans, including a focus on being family-friendly.

“It’s a free ticket so many people who come here can also go to the museum, which has reduced admission this week. The museum is where Rafa has all his trophies and there are also a lot of activities to do at the museum, including different simulators like Formula One, mountain biking, and skiing. It’s very nice because it’s very family oriented.”

The Rafa Nadal Academy opened in 2016 and when the tournament began two years later, the goal has always been to give back to the sport.

“The highlight for me is when I look around and see lots of people coming and having a good time. We are trying to give something back with this tournament, this is not our business. We are a tennis academy, our business is in something else. When somebody comes to me and says, ‘Thank you, you’re doing a good job, this is a great place to be.’ When I go to sleep, I’m proud of that.”

The academy invests in hosting a Challenger tournament because they recognise how vital the ATP Challenger Tour is to professional tennis. This year, academy graduates Abdullah Shelbayh and Daniel Rincon are among the field, providing them an opportunity to play in front of a home crowd.

“For us as an academy, it’s super big to have a Challenger… It’s the path you need to go through if you want to become one of the top players in this sport. The Challenger Tour puts a lot of effort in making the path easier and is always looking for the benefit of the player,” Suasi said.