The eighth racket of the world Andrei Rublev lost to Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals of the US Open — 4:6, 3:6, 4:6. It was a match not only of Russians, but also of friends: Rublev is the godfather of Medvedev’s daughter.
How did the match turn out?
For Rublev, this was his ninth quarterfinal in Grand Slams. He never reached the quarterfinals and became the first man in the Open era to lose his first nine matches in the quarterfinals.
Medvedev and Rublev met not for the first time in a big match: now the score was 6–2 in favor of Daniil. But these three sets in 2 hours and 48 minutes on the court were very difficult for both tennis players.
Medvedev and Rublev played in 34-degree heat and high humidity — in sweltering heat. Medvedev took a medical time-out twice and used an inhaler. In one of the games, he reproachfully said: “One player will die, and they will watch.”
Rublev was constantly wiping off his sweat and was also having a hard time coping with the conditions. At the same time, the tennis players played a good match: there were many protracted rallies and positional struggles. Fortunately for the Russians, the match did not drag on and ended in three sets.
How did the tennis players comment on the match?
After the match, Medvedev laughed when asked if he wanted to invite Rublev to finish everything in three sets:
“I know he never gives up. And he knows that I never give up. And you know, when he led again with a break in the third set, I thought, “Well, at least there will be a 10-minute break.”
I couldn’t wait to go and take a cold shower. From what I know, after that you either can’t move because your body literally seizes up, or you feel better.”
Medvedev is number three in the ranking, although he once led it for a short time. He reached the semifinals of the US Open for the fourth time in his career, where he will play the winner of the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. If the Spaniard wins, Daniil will have the opportunity to take revenge for his defeat at a similar stage at the last Wimbledon.
Rublev reacted philosophically to the defeat: “How do I rank? Eighth or seventh? Essentially, I performed for my rating. This year he was in the top eight three times. I guess I confirm my rating.”