Ex-champion Daniil Medvedev taught his buddy Andrej Rublev the next painful defeat at the US Open and is a possible semi-final opponent of Alexander Zverev.
With the 6: 4, 6: 3, 6: 4 success, the 27-year-old Russian ensured that his compatriot Rublev, who was two years his junior, did not get past the quarter-final hurdle at a Grand Slam in the ninth attempt.
Rublev was eliminated in the last eight at Melbourne and Wimbledon this year. Medvedev, tournament winner in 2021, is in his second major semi-final this year after Wimbledon.
The next opponent could be Zverev, who would have to defeat the defending champion and world number one Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday night (second match after 1 a.m. CEST/Sportdeutschland.TV). The second semi-final is contested by Grand Slam record champion Novak Djokovic from Serbia and the American Ben Shelton.
Medvedev and Rublev gave each other nothing at Arthur Ashe Stadium and put their friendship on hold for the clash. Rublev is godfather to Medvedev’s daughter Alisa, but gave everything in the heat of New York to defeat the third in the world rankings. But the hard court specialist proved to be too strong and prevailed.