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Daniil Medvedev must have wondered, even briefly, in New York on Tuesday (AEST) whether Alex de Minaur had become his tennis kryptonite.
The Australian famously broke his 18-match drought against top-five rivals with a breakthrough victory over Medvedev at last year’s Paris Masters before repeating the dose in Toronto a few weeks ago.
Then, in a blistering start to their US Open fourth-round clash, de Minaur dropped only two games in winning the opening set over an uncharacteristically wayward and ailing Medvedev.
It was all set up to be de Minaur’s finest hour, only for the enigmatic Russian to finally spring to life with a “tweener” even Nick Kyrgios would have been proud of.
Barely two hours later, Medvedev marched into the last eight for the fourth time in five years, booking another showdown with childhood friend Andrey Rublev, thanks to a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 triumph that belied his lethargic start.
The man who finished the match smacking outrageous winners – even when he was pushed way outside the court – was barely recognisable, transformed from the frustrated player who trudged off Louis Armstrong Stadium for a toilet break after the first set.
Alex de Minaur shakes Daniil Medvedev’s hand after his US Open exit.Credit: Getty
“It was very tough. The conditions were probably one of the most brutal we ever played,” Medvedev said.
“I mean, we have some other places like Cincinnati and Tokyo like this. But it’s tough every time – I think, for both of us, because one moment, I thought, I’m not going to be able to play until the end.
“Then I looked at him, and he’s one of the best guys physically by far, and I was like, ‘Actually, he’s starting to move less and less good’, so I was like, ‘OK, let’s go to five [sets]’. I managed to serve much better at one moment and this changed the match, I think.”
For de Minaur, it was his fifth defeat from six trips to the last 16 at grand slams.
The only comfort? He is surely getting closer. His recent defeats of world No.3 Medvedev, and other top-five and top-10 titans, would suggest that. But he has still not put it all together at a major.
De Minaur will also be disappointed at how little resistance he offered once Medvedev broke him for the first time to clinch the second set and change the course of the match.
Overwhelmed by the six-foot-six Medvedev’s bombastic power, he began to press more and more – and the errors predictably flowed.
De Minaur magnificently, if surprisingly, dictated from the baseline in the first set and watched his short-fused rival drown in mistakes as he struggled to solve the riddle of his Australian foe.
Medvedev celebrates his four-set win over de Minaur.Credit: Getty
Medvedev meekly conceded the opening break of the match to go 3-2 down, then requested the trainer to suck on an asthma puffer, but that intervention did nothing to halt the Australian’s momentum.
De Minaur pocketed a second break on the way to breezing to a one-set lead.
It became obvious in the early games of the second set that his challenge had suddenly become much greater. Medvedev came out on top in an absorbing 34-shot rally to reduce the “Demon” to 15-40, only for him to wriggle out of trouble and level the set at two-all.
The 2021 champion actually had more difficulty holding serve in the ensuing games, at least until a de Minaur double fault sunk him in an 0-30 hole at 4-5 that he could not dig himself out of.
The third set was a non-contest from the moment a de Minaur backhand sailed long in the fourth game to leave him 3-1 down. Another break followed two games later, but the Sydneysider at least made him earn a tough hold to go up two sets to one.
De Minaur dug out a clutch low volley on his way to escaping a tricky situation at the start of the fourth set. Ever the fighter, he visibly and audibly tried to lift himself off the canvas, hoping his opening would come.
He did not have to wait long, expertly guiding a rocket Medvedev serve to the opposite baseline that the Russian ploughed into the net to offer a rare break point. De Minaur played the next point well, but Medvedev was even better as he scampered across the court then aggressively staved off the threat.
De Minaur never had another look-in, and handed the advantage to Medvedev in the very next game – and the end came in a hurry.
Watch all the action from the US Open on 9NOW and 9GemHD, with every match streaming live & ad-free and centre court matches in 4K UHD on the home of grand slam tennis, Stan Sport.
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