Sinner sets Medvedev showdown in US Open QFs

  • Posted: Sep 03, 2024

Jannik Sinner set a tantalising quarter-final showdown against Daniil Medvedev on Monday evening when he battled past home favourite Tommy Paul in the fourth round of the US Open.

The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings battled from two breaks down in the first set and had to work hard throughout, but his baseline power and jaw-dropping shotmaking proved enough to claw to a 7-6(3), 7-6(5), 6-1 victory. Sinner has reached at least the quarter-finals at all four majors this season, becoming just the eighth men’s singles player since 2000 to accomplish the feat.

“It’s a huge honour to play on this court here. The evening session is always very, very nice. Thanks everyone for the support, it’s amazing,” Sinner said. “I thought that we both didn’t play our best tennis. It was a little breezy, a little windy, so we tried to find our rhythm a little bit. I found it a little bit at the end of the match, but I can be very proud. Today was a tough opponent, so I’m very happy to be in the next round.”

Players to reach men’s singles QF at all four Slams in season since 2000

 Player Years 
 Novak Djokovic  8 (2010-15, 2021, 2023)
 Roger Federer  8 (2005-12)
 Rafael Nadal  5 (2008, 2010-11, 2018-19)
  Andy Murray  4 (2011-12, 2014, 2016)
 David Ferrer  2 (2012-13)
 Stan Wawrinka   1 (2015)
 Andre Agassi  1 (2001)
 Jannik Sinner  1 (2024)

The second game of the third set was the match in a nutshell. Paul did everything he possibly could to hit the ball past the opponent, pushing the Italian well behind the baseline, so much so that the top seed was nearly off camera. But as the American surged into the net, there was nothing he could do about a screaming crosscourt forehand passing shot that was ultimately too good.

The 14th seed played at times a great level in a match that featured some of the most entertaining points of the tournament so far. But Sinner, this year’s Australian Open champion, was simply better on the evening.

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Paul earned two service breaks, but they came in his second and third return games of the match. Sinner rallied from a double break down in the first set and despite the tight scoreline, had an answer for all the questions his opponent posed.

“For sure mentally I didn’t start very well. I was a double break down in the first set. I tried to stay there mentally and for sure this today was one of the keys to win this match,” Sinner said. “I served very well in the beginning of the match. There are some ups and downs obviously in best of five, it’s normal to have. But finding my rhythm in the end of the match hopefully helps with [it] for the next match, so let’s see.”

This was the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting since Sinner defeated Paul 6-4, 6-4 last year in Toronto, where the Italian claimed his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title. He now leads their series 3-1.

Sinner will now prepare to face Medvedev in a battle of the only two major champions remaining in the draw. They most recently clashed in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, where Medvedev triumphed in five sets to snap a five-match losing streak against the World No. 1 and take a 7-5 lead in their rivalry. Sinner beat Medvedev to win this year’s Australian Open.

“Tough match. It’s going to be a lot of rallies, so hopefully I’ll be ready physically. It’s going to be a physical match, also a mental match,” Sinner said. “I won in Australia, he then won in Wimbledon. That was five sets. So hopefully it’s going to be a good match. We’ll try to do our best on court, hopefully you guys enjoy the next one and then we’ll see how it goes.”

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