US Open 2023: Daniil Medvedev overcomes ‘brutal’ New York heat, Andrey Rublev to storm into semi-finals

Daniil Medvedev hardly had any energy left in his tank to celebrate his victory over Andrey Rublev after his compatriot hit a forehand into the net in the men’s singles quarter-finals at the US Open. Both players were exhausted at the end of a 2-hour-and-47-minute encounter at the Arthur Ashe Stadium and Medvedev described the hot and humid conditions in New York as “brutal” and the most difficult one for him since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Medvedev overcame the conditions on a humid afternoon, beating an exhausted Rublev 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his 4th US Open semi-final. The 2021 champion needed an ice pack and a couple of cold water bottles to cool himself down after what was a hard-fought battle in the middle in the quarter-final.

“It was brutal. The only good thing I see in these conditions is that both suffer, usually, it’s not one who suffers, so it was tough for both of us,” Medvedev said after the quarter-final win.

“At the end of the first set I kind of couldn’t see the ball anymore, I tried to play with sensations â€æ we were tired all the time, brutal conditions and super tough to win,” he added.

Notably, when Aryna Sabalenka decimated Zheng Qinwen Zheng in the women’s singles quarter-final earlier in the day ar the Ashe, the temperature approached 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius), prompting a partial closing of the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof to provide more shade for spectators and the players.

Medvedev at one point looked into the camera and made a startling remark about the conditions as he and Rublev were involved in long rallies, trying to wrestle advantage in the third set.

It was a strange effort from Rublev, who looked deflated from the end of the first set. He was up 3-0 in the first set, 3-1 in the second and broke Medvedev early in the 3rd set. However, the 8th seed was not able to make use of the advantages in an error-prone show.

Medvedev looked determined to get the job done in straight sets once he saw Rublev struggling for energy in the 3rd set. However, the 8th seed gave it his all to wriggle out of trouble while serving to stay in the set. In a 15-minute game, Rublev came up with a valiant show but it was not enough.

Medvedev will face the winner of the 4th quarter-finals between defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals.