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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.<\/p>\n
The Australian famously broke his 18-match drought against top-five rivals with a breakthrough victory over Medvedev at last year\u2019s Paris Masters before repeating the dose in Toronto a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It was all set up to be de Minaur\u2019s finest hour, only for the enigmatic Russian to finally spring to life with a \u201ctweener\u201d even Nick Kyrgios would have been proud of.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The man who finished the match smacking outrageous winners \u2013 even when he was pushed way outside the court \u2013 was barely recognisable, transformed from the frustrated player who trudged off Louis Armstrong Stadium for a toilet break after the first set.<\/p>\n
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Alex de Minaur shakes Daniil Medvedev\u2019s hand after his US Open exit.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cIt was very tough. The conditions were probably one of the most brutal we ever played,\u201d Medvedev said.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, we have some other places like Cincinnati and Tokyo like this. But it\u2019s tough every time \u2013 I think, for both of us, because one moment, I thought, I\u2019m not going to be able to play until the end.<\/p>\n \u201cThen I looked at him, and he\u2019s one of the best guys physically by far, and I was like, \u2018Actually, he\u2019s starting to move less and less good\u2019, so I was like, \u2018OK, let\u2019s go to five [sets]\u2019. I managed to serve much better at one moment and this changed the match, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n For de Minaur, it was his fifth defeat from six trips to the last 16 at grand slams.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Overwhelmed by the six-foot-six Medvedev\u2019s bombastic power, he began to press more and more \u2013 and the errors predictably flowed.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Medvedev celebrates his four-set win over de Minaur.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n 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\u2019s momentum.<\/p>\n De Minaur pocketed a second break on the way to breezing to a one-set lead.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cDemon\u201d to 15-40, only for him to wriggle out of trouble and level the set at two-all.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n De Minaur never had another look-in, and handed the advantage to Medvedev in the very next game \u2013 and the end came in a hurry.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n