Matching Report
Sinner shakes Medvedev, arrives at US Open SFs
Italy is chasing a second major crown
September 05, 2024
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images
Jannik Sinner during the quarter-finals on Wednesday at the US Open.
By ATP staff
Jannik Sinner survived a series of upsets on Wednesday at the US Open, as the top seed defeated 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach his third semifinal of the season. .
This year’s Australian Open champion, who holds a career-best 21-match winning streak at the majors this season, has reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slam events. The 23-year-old is the first man born in the 1990s or 2000s to achieve that feat and the first Italian in the Open Era.
Sinner produced a variety of tricks en route to a two-hour, 39-minute victory. It was a chess-like game of war from the start. The 15-time tour-ranked player contested Medvedev’s deep return position with serve-and-volleys, drop shots and explosive shots aimed at every corner of the court. The longer the rally, the harder Soni hits the ball.
“It was very difficult, we know each other well,” said Sinner, who made 38 unforced errors to Medvedev’s 57. “We played in Australia this year and went on to London. We knew it was going to be very physical. It was strange the first two sets because the one who breaks first starts to roll.”
Active players will reach the semifinals in all four majors
The winner of the first three sets raced to a double break advantage and kept his foot on the pedal. Medvedev polished off his first match after 15 unforced errors in the opening set, when Sinner went down by one point after starting to play the game red inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Fifth seed Medvedev began to absorb Sinner’s energy with skill and played hard to break back for the second time in five straight games and soon after taking the second set. But if you blinked, you would have missed the next momentum change. Sinner reeled off the first five games of the third set and pulled within one set of the victory.
Sosoni saved two break points at 2-3 in the fourth set, one of which came with a service plus-one combination. Medvedev would capitalize on his second break chance of the match, where he threw a backhand volley and put the ball away. Sinner got a break point in the next game and later converted his second match point to serve himself.
Building on his 2022 Finals appearance in New York, Sinner showed quick speed as he went forward and converted 28 of his 33 points.
“We tried to work hard in this part of the game. I know I can improve a lot, especially going to the net,” Sinner said. “I tried serve-and-volley a few times, trying to put something together. I’m very happy with how I did it. today and let’s see how I can face the next enemy.”
One step closer to the subject 😤@uvule | #USOVula | @janniksin pic.twitter.com/QG8WugzYCP
– ATP Tour (@atptour) September 5, 2024
World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings improved to 6-7 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Medvedev after trailing 0-6 earlier in the tournament. Sinner then won five in a row, including a memorable two-sets-to-love comeback in this year’s Australian Open final. Medvedev defeated Sinner in the quarter finals at Wimbledon two months ago.
The only major champion left in the draw, Sinner will face 25th seed Jack Draper in the final. The Briton won his only Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, which doubled as the lefty’s first match win, at the 2021 ATP 500 at Queen’s Club. Sinner was then ranked 23rd in the world and Draper was number 309. Now they will go toe-to-toe in one of the biggest divisions in tennis.
Sinner, who is 53-5 this season, is the third Italian man to reach the Flushing Meadows final in the Open Era (Corrado Barazzutti in 1977 and Matteo Berrettini in 2019). He is on a nine game winning streak, as he reached the season finale following his victory in Cincinnati.
